Latinos may be a fast growing ethnic group in the United States, but recent studies show that a lack of knowledge about college and financial aid is preventing Latino students from furthering their education.

The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California recently released the results from its Caught in the Financial Aid Information Divide survey conducted this past December.

The survey, which was commissioned by The Sallie Mae Fund, is a follow up to the College Knowledge study conducted two years ago. In the previous study, the institute found that many Latino parents were not aware of very "basic information" in preparing students for college.

According to the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, college knowledge and information are found in four different areas -- advanced placement classes, college preparatory curriculum, information on types of colleges and financial aid. In the most recent survey, the Caught in the Financial Aid Information Divide focused on the distribution of financial aid information among Latino families.

Jongho Lee, the institute's senior research associate, said today there is a common myth that Latino young adults are less likely to attend college because parents and students do not value education. This is not the case, he added.

In an e-mail message, Lee said it is the lack of financial aid information for Latino families that causes the low percentage of Latino students to attend college.

More than half of Latino students reported that they did not receive any financial aid information from kindergarten through high school, Lee said. Less than two-thirds of parents reported that they did not receive the financial aid information, he said.

Bob Snyder, associate director of student aid programs, said students may not receive information during high school, but this is not the case for incoming freshman and upperclassmen at the university.

"At Penn State, we provide information to all students that have been accepted through admissions," Snyder said.

Students receive information via their Penn State e-mail account, he added.

University Park and Commonwealth campuses do have presentations on college and financial aid information for high school seniors each year, Snyder said, but high schools should also communicate that information to their students.

Lee said financial aid is an important factor when students consider colleges. However, factors such as the level of parents' education, family income and the parent's birthplace have a "direct impact on the level of college knowledge."

"Information on college and financial aid is an important ingredient for college knowledge," Lee added.

"The Cost of Knowledge," conducted through phone interviews, drew samples from a list of 12,000 families with common Latino names in seven metropolitan areas across the U.S., including Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, San Francisco and New York. Since the survey results were officially released two weeks ago, Lee said it was hard to see if there have been any changes, but he said he hopes people will be proactive to make college and financial aid information more attainable to Latino youths seeking higher education.

"We are in a knowledgeable economy. Without a college education, you can't have the kind of life you want to have," Lee said. "What we need to do -- and society -- is address the information deficient among Latino parents and students."

Alvaro Zumaran, Latino Caucus president, said he is fortunate that his mom was proactive when talking about financial aid to his high school counselors and filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms.

"One great thing about this country is they do give minorities opportunities," Zumaran said. "These opportunities won't be dropped in your lap. You have to work for it."