Each year, thousands of students face the tough decision of determining how to pay for college. According to a recent article*, only 9 percent of low-income students received college degrees, while 54 percent of students from wealthy families obtained bachelor’s degrees. To help ease students’ financial concerns, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, is announcing 12 grants totaling $336,000 to Wisconsin colleges and universities that increase access to higher education. The grants support scholarship opportunities and fund specialized programs in areas such as information technology. The 10 schools receiving grants represent both private and public institutions and are located throughout the state. “Education is a driving force for any growing economy and healthy community,” said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “These grants enable more first generation and minority students to cross the graduation stage, demonstrating how this support positively impacts the individual, the city and the talent pool.” Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! Higher education institutions receiving a grant include: Alverno College, Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll University, Marquette University, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater