Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
Rebuilding trust in higher education will not happen through rhetoric alone. It will require alignment between experience, evidence, and affordability. The experience, according to the latest Lumina Foundation/Gallup study—The College Reality Check: What Students Experience vs. What America Believes—is stronger than many assume. The evidence regarding career relevance is clear. The affordability challenge is real and persistent. But if we fix what's pricing people out and strengthen what's working, confidence can return.
The bottom line: The real risk isn’t that higher education has lost its value, says Lumina Foundation’s Courtney Brown. It’s that we allow a distorted narrative to shape decisions that make it harder for people to access that value at all.
Starting this summer, as part of a new accountability measure, most college programs will have to show that their students earn more than someone with only a high school diploma to avoid being cut off from federal funding.
But one state is close to passing legislation that would directly import the federal test into state law—and take it even further. While the federal law will cut off students attending failing programs from receiving federal student loans, Indiana’s Senate Bill 199 would end such programs entirely at public universities and Ivy Tech Community College.
For many students, applying to college and choosing the right major and career path seem like the most important decisions they’ve ever had to make. Some students prioritize fields that offer high salaries, while others follow their passions. Parents' wishes or the careers of their peers may also inspire students. But in reality, many students do not stick to their initial choice.
Students and academic advisors from University of California campuses weigh in on their experiences in choosing a major and exploring careers, as well as the struggles and lessons they faced.
Although dual enrollment has existed in some form since the 1950s, it has expanded in nearly every state over the past two decades. The effort is drawing a mix of students—those who want to save money on college courses, some who are looking to stand out among a sea of college applicants, some who just want to explore an interest, and others who are curious about whether postsecondary education is for them.
In this interview, current and former students share how the dual enrollment experience has shaped them and what advice they have for would-be enrollees. Their insights reflect the triumphs and challenges of a complex, growing movement.
Adult online learners are motivated and goal-oriented, but they are graduating without the professional relationships and peer connections needed to translate their degrees into career advancement, according to a new report from WGU Labs.
The study, based on a September 2025 survey of 545 students at Western Governors University, found that while students overwhelmingly know what they want professionally, they lack the human connections to get there, a gap that falls hardest on students from low-income, first-generation, and racially minoritized backgrounds.
When generative AI first burst into the classroom, the collective instinct of many education leaders was defensive. Driven by valid concerns about academic integrity, data privacy, and student mental health, some of the nation's largest education systems initially chose to ban the technology altogether. It was a protective stance—one rooted in the desire to shield students and the sanctity of learning from an unknown disruptor.
But the ground is shifting rapidly. Experts say we are moving past the "protection" phase and into an era that demands "preparation."
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