Brand-Building at Community Colleges
In an age of information overload, how do you tell the story of who your college is to students and your community? How do you take charge of your own narrative and showcase all that your college has to offer?
Featured Resources
Some highlights of Lumina's work
We're sharing tools and takeaways from our efforts to create a better-educated nation.
The Great Admissions Redesign
Lumina Foundation is seeking to work with states, higher education systems, and groups of colleges and universities ready to transform how potential students apply, enroll, and access their institutions.
A Stronger Nation
We're tracking America's progress toward the nation's 60% attainment goal.
Community College Challenge
The Million Dollar Community College Challenge team is shining a spotlight on the great work of community colleges around the country.
REACH Collaborative
We're supporting community colleges in six states to create short-term credential-to-degree pathways for adults who are Black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American.
Changing the Narrative on Student Borrowers of Color
A collection of essays from student loan experts sets the record straight on borrowing among students of color.
Community Grants
Our community grants portfolio supports local organizations in our hometown of Indianapolis and around central Indiana.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Hear stories about how HBCU's help students thrive.
Tuition Reimbursement
Meet a few of the workers and employers participating in tuition reimbursement programs.
Lumina Impact Ventures
Lumina Impact Ventures is the Foundation's impact investing arm partnering with mission-aligned social enterprises.
Local Talent Handbook
A guide for local leaders to build talent pool in their communities.
I Want That Job!
A series from WorkingNation on promising career paths for early career workers
History of Federal Student Aid
A film series documenting the policy and the political origins of federal financial aid programs
Beyond Financial Aid
How colleges can strengthen students’ financial stability, leading to higher completion rates
Degree Qualification Profile
A learning-centered framework for what college graduates should know and be able to do to earn the associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree.
A Guide to Higher Education Federal Earnings Data
Aug. 10, 2026
AIR’s Guide to Higher Education Federal Earnings Data, written by Dr. Alexandria Walton Radford of Sova, provides a side-by-side comparison of four federal sources of postsecondary earnings data: the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS), College Scorecard, Census Bureau’s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Explorer, and IRS-supported Secure Query System. The guide compares their purposes, earnings…
Instructional capacity in US higher education
July 29, 2026
This report looks at whether U.S. colleges and universities have more teaching capacity than they are actually using. In simple terms, it asks: do schools have enough students to match the number of instructors, programs, classrooms, and academic resources they have built? The report finds that, in many places, the answer is increasingly no.
Beyond Financial Aid
June 24, 2026
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides more than $1 billion in support annually to more than 450,000 college students with financial need nationwide.
Putting State Dollars to Work
June 23, 2026
State-led workforce investments are emerging as flexible and consequential policy levers during a time of economic change.
How Congress Can Strengthen the Pell Grant Program to Make College More Affordable for Millions of Americans
June 22, 2026
The Pell Grant program is the federal government’s most effective investment in college affordability, but the share of college costs covered by the grant is at an all-time low.
Federal Dual Enrollment Data Collection & Recommended Policy Changes
June 17, 2026
Nationally, 82 percent of high schools offer dual enrollment, and about one-third of students take at least one dual enrollment course by graduation.
Making Short-Term Training Policy Work
June 11, 2026
Interest in how community colleges can improve short-term occupational training programs is gaining momentum.
65 Million Reasons Why Intent Matters Most
June 8, 2026
Adding on to the largest national survey of prospective adult students. An updated view of demand, motivations, and barriers shaping postsecondary enrollment.
Student Parents in Community College
June 2, 2026
It is estimated that about a fifth of undergraduates in college are parents. A disproportionate share of student parents attends community colleges, which have more flexible programs that cater to adult students.
Shining the Spotlight on Regional Public University Students
June 1, 2026
The United States has nearly 4,000 degree-granting four-year colleges and universities.
America Is Running Out of Nurses, and DACA Recipients Are Helping Provide Critical Care to Communities Despite Threats of Deportation From the Trump Administration
June 1, 2026
Nurses who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program possess language skills and cultural knowledge that are invaluable when trying to build trust with patients whose primary language is not...
Federal SNAP Cuts and Pell Funding Shortfall Risk Worsening Disparities in Food Insecurity, College Persistence, and Attainment
June 1, 2026
Federal supports like the Pell Grant and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are critical lifelines that help millions of students from low-income backgrounds afford college and meet basic needs each...
New Kentucky Research Complicates the Corequisite Course Consensus in Higher Education
June 1, 2026
New research from the Brookings Institution contends that while corequisite remediation shows modest benefits in English and quantitative reasoning math, it has not proven effective for college algebra.
Intent Matters Most
June 1, 2026
Over a quarter of U.S. adults between the ages of 25 and 64—representing 41.7 million people—intend to enroll in some type of higher education program or training within the next two years, says this report from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and CollegeAPP.
For Most Renters, Eviction Threat Falls With Age. Not for Older Student Parents.
June 1, 2026
For most renters, eviction risk declines with age. But for student parents aged 35 to 39, the data tell a different story, according to this analysis from New America and the Eviction Lab.
Persistence and Retention
June 1, 2026
Of the 2.6 million college students who first enrolled in fall 2024, 85.8 percent returned to higher education in the spring for their second semester, according to new data by the National Student Clearinghouse...
New Pathways
June 1, 2026
Millions of Americans can change their economic trajectories by upgrading their education and skills in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Reframing Support
May 28, 2026
Over half of undergraduate students in the United States enter college with neither parent having completed a college degree.
Admissions Redesign at the State and System Levels
May 6, 2026
As the postsecondary education landscape changes, it is critical that the field develop a common language through the creation of a typology that can be used to describe the admissions redesigns being adopted and the characteristics of each as the basis to better understand their impact.
Public Benefits and Financial Aid Support Education Beyond High School and Long-Term Economic Well-Being for Low-Income Young Adults
April 27, 2026
This study provides a comprehensive account of how the full portfolio of major public benefit programs and financial aid shapes educational decisions and long-term earnings, tracing effects for our cohort across nearly three decades, from young adulthood through approximately age 40.