Resource Archive

Acting on data about both part-time and full-time students is essential to moving the needle on college completion. It also is an equity issue. Part-time student attainment rates severely lag behind those of their full-time counterparts, regardless of sector or timeframe. And part-time students are disproportionately BILPOC (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, People of Color) students, community…

Countless students would agree: The transfer process does not work. Despite sustained efforts to “fix” transfer over the past several decades, the current system continues to produce dismal, inequitable outcomes and unnecessary roadblocks that thwart students’ educational goals. A new report from HCM Strategists, Sova and the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program examines efforts to…

California faces a shortfall of more than two million degrees and certificates to meet employers’ needs and promote economic mobility for its residents. This report from California Competes examines which groups of California adults intend to enroll in higher education or training; which types of institutions they are interested in; whether they are interested in…

Across Tennessee, more than 595,000 working-age adults have earned college credit but do not have a postsecondary credential. This report from The College System of Tennessee Office of Policy and Strategy aims to build a body of evidence about the challenges that returning adults face, the strategies that promote their success after they return, and…

Most of today’s college students have adult responsibilities, such as parenting, earning a living, and paying for college. Unfortunately, adult students are often treated as an afterthought by colleges and policymakers. Over the last 20 years, more than 37 million students have left school without receiving a degree that would greatly improve their economic prospects.

This report identifies gaps for student parents in campus culture, policies, physical space and student services. The study also shares recommendations to support colleges and universities in increasing college completion rates of parenting students, who represent 1 in 5 undergraduate college students nationwide.

At least one in five of today’s college students is parenting a child while enrolled in classes. If these parenting students complete their degrees, both they and their children could expect improved social, economic, and health outcomes. Nevertheless, degree attainment rates among parenting students are low, and evidence about their experiences—which is critical to improving…

Adults returning to school after time away face unique challenges, such as determining how much to borrow to finance their education. Overborrowing can cause significant problems, but borrowing too little can be just as much of a problem. This report from the Urban Institute aims to help counselors and other advisers better understand how borrowing…

This report aims to help counselors and other advisers better understand differences in borrowing by race or ethnicity, program, and type of institution and navigate the factors that might influence students’ success.

When designing and implementing college promise programs, policymakers should consider the unique needs of student parents and other independent students, many of whom are students of color, are working in addition to going to school, and are older than the “traditional” college student.

Debates on potential legislative solutions for these youth have long had to rely on an earlier estimate of the number of unauthorized immigrants who graduate from U.S. high schools each year, based on 2000­–02 data. The size and characteristics of the young unauthorized population have changed considerably since then. This fact sheet provides the most…

A new resource from Higher Learning Advocates offers a fresh set of recommendations for how to make federal policy work better for an increasingly diverse population of students. Specifically, the policy toolkit outlines high-impact changes to address barriers to college access and success—including food insecurity and childcare costs—that fall outside of the scope of traditional…

Given the different challenges that low-income students face, it is important for institutions and policymakers to invest in programs that provide academic and career advising, mentoring, and financial support. One example is the City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs, which have nearly doubled the three-year associate degree completion rate for low-income…

In California, there are 380,000 student-parents. That means one out of every seven students is balancing the challenges of school with the responsibilities of parenthood. These students have unique needs that make affording college more difficult than it is for other students. In fact, in California only 18 percent of four-year institutions are affordable for…

An updated resource from Purdue University Global for parents and families with help for studying while working and parenting. Includes sections on financial aid, childcare options, time-management tools, and support networks.

A new brief from Jobs for the Future outlines best practices from the Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative, an effort that connects systems-involved young people with postsecondary education and employment.

First-generation students make up a third of all college students, but only 27 percent will attain their degrees within four years—markedly lagging behind their continuing generation peers. While research suggests that certain intentional practices can improve first-generation college success, there is a need for greater clarity around existing approaches and impediments if institutions are to…

Nearly 70 percent of all college students work—but work experiences vary greatly between low- and higher-income students, according to a new study from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report calls on college and university leaders to marshal more resources to improve career pathways for low-income students, including the creation of stronger…

A survey from Cengage of 1,651 current and former college students shows that students routinely sacrifice basic needs such as food and spending time with their family in order to afford their course materials.

Seven profiles of today's students shows the new face of the freshman class.

Independent students (those without parental support) now constitute the majority of college students in the U.S. These students are more likely to be women, minority or low income, require specialized services to help them succeed, and have more unmet financial need than traditional-age students.

This issue of Lumina Foundation Focus highlights the real-life struggles of today’s student, often juggling family and work responsibilities. It looks at the college experience through the eyes of three 21st century students.

This issue of Lumina Foundation Focus showcases the efforts of institutions and organizations that are working to assist the nation’s adult students. You’ll see the faces of today’s adult-learning trend — real people confronting real-life problems as they work to carve out better lives for themselves and their families.

Community colleges serve 47 percent of the nation’s African-American undergraduates, 56 percent of Latinos, and 57 percent of Native Americans. Learn how two-year institutions help millions of students overcome challenges in the pursuit of postsecondary opportunity.

Nontraditional students are becoming the norm in postsecondary institutions around the country as adults seek postsecondary education in growing numbers. Adult programs are now found in diverse types of institutions that are responding to the varied needs of adult students.