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Editor’s note: This commentary is by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

I would like to invite Vermont high school students and their families to join me at two college fairs on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, and on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Castleton University in Castleton.

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Vermont colleges, universities, and certificate and apprenticeship programs will be on hand to describe the excellent post-secondary educational opportunities that are available right here in our state. And the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. will explain different financial aid options that students may be eligible for, and will even help students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Many Vermont high school students are well aware of the various educational opportunities and financial aid resources that are available, and that is great. But many students are not, and that is why I am organizing these college fairs. At a time when post-secondary education is more important than ever to get a decent-paying job, we must do everything possible to make sure every student has the information they need to further their education and career prospects.

Fifty years ago, if you got a high school degree, odds were that you could get a decent job and make it into the middle class. But that has changed. While not all middle-class jobs in today’s economy require some post-secondary education, an increasing number do. By 2020, two-thirds of all Vermont jobs will require some education beyond high school.

And these jobs tend to pay better, too. Nationally, median earnings for a worker with an associate’s degree will be about $360,000 more over their career than the average earnings for a worker with a high school diploma. And a worker with a bachelor’s degree will earn almost $1 million more.

Yet, while the U.S. once led the world in college graduation rates, today we have fallen to 11th place. Moreover, Vermont is close to the bottom of all states in terms of college enrollment rates.

Vermont has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the country, and we should all feel great pride in that fact. However, while nearly 75 percent of Vermont high school seniors say they want to pursue postsecondary education, just 53-59 percent (depending on the survey) actually enroll. Not surprisingly, the gap is widest for students whose parents did not attend college, students from low-income families, and students with disabilities.

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There are many reasons for this, including the ever-rising cost of college that requires most students to take on a mountain of debt. I am working very hard to address the issue of college affordability, because in the richest country in the world, everyone who has the ability and the desire should be able to get a higher education. However, cost is not the only reason for low college enrollment rates.

If you are the first person in your family to go to college, as my brother and I were, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the application and financial aid process. How do you find the college that is right for you? How do you get through the many financial aid forms? Once you are in college, how do you successfully fit into an environment that could be very different from home?

The U.S. Department of Education funds some excellent programs in Vermont, like Upward Bound, Talent Search and GEAR UP, which help prepare students for college and provide support so they stay enrolled and graduate. And VSAC is doing a very good job helping students with financial aid options. But clearly, we must do more.

Every child should know from a young age that post-secondary education is an option, even if their parents never went to college or their family doesn’t have a lot of money. Something as simple as an elementary school field trip to a local college can spark the imagination of young Vermonters.

We must also do a better job making sure every high school student (and their families) understands financial aid options and has help navigating the forms. It is unacceptable that Vermont ranks near the bottom in terms of how many kids from poor towns apply for financial aid versus kids from wealthier towns.

And we have to let our kids know about the many excellent educational options right here in Vermont, including our two host schools for the college fairs, Lyndon and Castleton.

I hope you can join me on Oct. 7 or 14. For more information, or to RSVP (encouraged, but not required), please visit www.sanders.senate.gov/college-fairs-2017 or call my office at 1-800-339-9834.