News and views in higher education attainment from Lumina Foundation

Featured Story

Adult Pathways

Veering Off-Track: ‘Some college, no degree’ numbers spike to 39 million

Like a freight train speeding down the tracks, this alarming trend is moving fast—but in the wrong direction. America’s “some college, no degree” (SCND) population—those who started at a 2-year or 4-year college and stopped out before completing a degree or certificate—has grown to 39 million people, up nearly 9 percent in just two years.

Courtney BrownMay 10, 2022

This dude's looking confident AF walking through revolving glass doors, carrying a couriers bag and blue shoes that match his shirt.

Student Supports

Adults can return to college, finish, and thrive—with a little support

Most adults who return to college can persevere and graduate—if they have enough time and financial support, a new report shows. Nearly three-quarters of the returning adults surveyed earned a postsecondary credential, and most who hadn’t still planned to do so. 

Frank Swanzy Essien, Jr. May 9, 2022

Federal Policy

Time to weigh in: IPEDS could restrict the race and ethnicity reporting of undocumented students

Freedom gives us, as Americans, the power to choose. It makes our form of government unique in several practical ways. One is the opportunity to create and own our own identity, a practice praised by rugged individualists and inclusivity activists alike.

Chris Mullin April 21, 2022

Featured Podcast

State Policy

The Power of State Networks

Dakota PawlickiApril 26, 2022

Adult Pathways

Jobs: After grieving lost family, my mom found her calling—as a funeral service worker

Empty chairs at the dining-room table this time of year remind us of loved ones no longer here. Like yours, perhaps, my family has had some experience with that loss. But in my mother’s case the grieving also led to a new career, and I sometimes think about what that might mean for others considering…

Chris MullinDec. 16, 2021

Adult Pathways

Colleges roll out a new ‘homecoming’ for adult students

Fall homecoming feels different this year as schools welcome back not only nostalgic grads but also those who left early and want to return to finish their degrees. The warm welcome parallels a new infusion of support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and for community colleges. These are all driven by factors that reflect…

Jamie MerisotisOct. 26, 2021

Adult Pathways

Community colleges in six states join national effort to support adult students of color

Education and training after high school, long known to be a vehicle for economic mobility, will play a pivotal role in our recovery, but only if that promise is just as true for communities of color. Systematically, however, that has not been the case for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adult students. Some renewed…

Wayne TaliaferroSept. 22, 2021

Adult Pathways

We have to fix the skilled-labor shortage to overhaul the country’s infrastructure. Our approach must work for everyone.

We cannot fill the jobs that are open now, so to launch a massive infrastructure program we need to make training workers part of the plan.

Jamie MerisotisSept. 16, 2021

Adult Pathways

Stop treating community colleges as the fallback option or a last resort

Community colleges serve one of the most diverse student bodies in higher education. Despite tight funding, they serve millions of people through job training and are a cost-effective pathway to a university degree.

Shauna DavisSept. 14, 2021

Adult Pathways

These are some of the ‘open secrets’ that block college completion for many people

We’ve all heard about the hidden curriculum or the unwritten rules that college students must navigate to earn their credentials. But what about the “open secrets” — the official policies and requirements that act as barriers to student success?

Haley GloverJuly 14, 2021

Adult Pathways

States are using fast, short-term credentials to get workers back on their feet.

In recent years, the debates about proposals to expand the federal Pell Grant program to pay for short-term workforce programs offered at community colleges have been lively. Several states have taken matters into their own hands, using federal stimulus dollars to provide aid to adult learners seeking short-term certificates and certifications. These state initiatives offer essential…

Amber Garrison Duncan, Kermit KalebaMay 10, 2021

Adult Pathways

Community-based organizations help students gain valuable work skills quickly

People are struggling right now to find jobs, pay bills, and care for family. Located within those struggles is the need to upskill or reskill to be equipped for available jobs and better opportunities. Community-based organizations (CBOs) provide a critical means of support. They create new pathways to education and employment and help fill gaps…

Haley GloverMarch 18, 2021

Adult Pathways

Finishing college can be hard when ‘life gets in the way’ – but there is help

Thirty-six million adults have some college credit but have yet to earn a degree. The first step colleges and policymakers need to take to re-engage these adults is to listen to those who have traveled through the system.

Dakota PawlickiMarch 2, 2020

Adult Pathways

Why adults quit college and how to bring them back

From our freshman through senior years of college, my roommate worked tirelessly at Applebee’s Bar and Grill so she could afford to attend school. It’s not easy to balance work and school, but she figured it out.

Wendy SedlakDec. 17, 2019

Adult Pathways

Audio: Go beyond the ‘hot-buttons’ around immigration, Jamie Merisotis says

The United States needs millions more qualified people to fill open jobs, and immigration is a vital part of filling that gap, Jamie Merisotis says.

Tracy ChenOct. 9, 2019

Adult Pathways

Focus magazine: Rural college students are a vast and vital national resource

We’ve all heard the phrase “flyover country,” the dismissive term often used by coastal elites to describe the vast middle parts of the nation that they tend—or choose—to ignore. Those two words encapsulate a troubling view—the idea that the nation’s less populated areas are somehow less important or less valuable, that the people there can…

Jamie MerisotisSept. 23, 2019

Adult Pathways

Rural America can yield a bumper crop of talent. So let’s cultivate it.

We’ve all heard the phrase “flyover country,” the dismissive term often used by coastal elites to describe the vast middle parts of the nation that they tend—or choose—to ignore.

Jamie MerisotisAug. 9, 2019

Adult Pathways

At commencement, remembering the long struggle to get my degree

As I walked into the stadium for my community college graduation, a photographer from the school’s PR department asked for a quick word. It was the same question I’d heard from others after finishing my associate degree: “So, what’s next for you?”

Jimmieka MillsJune 12, 2019