Resource Archive

This document details the methodology for counting certificates and certifications that are used for reporting beginning in 2024 (applies to 2023 data and forward).

The steps below describe the methods ECOnorthwest uses to calculate Lumina Foundation’s credential-of-value benchmark and identify the number and share of individuals meeting the benchmark, using Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Public Use Microdata (PUMS).

Creating Indicators, not Answers, Stronger Nation: Data Management, The Five-part Harmony, Setting Benchmarks

Artificial intelligence has become a routine part of college life, even as many institutions struggle to set clear rules for its use. New research from Lumina Foundation and Gallup finds that a majority of college students now use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini for their coursework at least weekly, including…

Across Lumina’s State Attainment Collaborative (SAC) cohort, states are making significant progress in engaging stakeholders to advance value-centered attainment goals.

Higher education continues to play a central role in hiring decisions. However, employers report growing challenges in finding candidates with the right skills and preparing recent graduates for immediate effectiveness. The 2026 Gallup survey of 2,000 U.S. employers from Lumina Foundation and Gallup examines how employers view the state of higher education and the talent…

A snapshot of Black student enrollment and outcomes at for-profit colleges paired with the perspectives of Black alumni of for-profit undergraduate and graduate programs

This report synthesizes landscape assessments from 12 states participating in Lumina Foundation’s FutureReady States (FRS) initiative.

See the enrollment outcomes at more than 3,000 institutions in 2024, the first year affected by the Supreme Court's elimination of race-conscious admissions compared to 2018 and 2019. Enrollment data are drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

This document details the methodology for counting certificates and certifications that are used for reporting beginning in 2024 (applies to 2023 data and forward). Certifications rates are developed using the CPS but directly align with how degrees are evaluated under Lumina Foundation’s revised goal. Certificate rates are developed through a multi-step process that estimates the…

What Matters is the State Population Holding Credentials that Lead to Economic Opportunity

PPTX to accompany the State Attainment Collaborative Webinar

While public confidence in higher education has declined sharply in recent years, current students and graduates report far more optimistic experiences. The College Reality Check: What Students Experience vs. What America Believes report from Lumina Foundation and Gallup examines this divide, highlighting public skepticism alongside the positive outcomes described by those on campus and beyond.

Class Action’s new report, The Future of Fair Admissions: A First Look at College Enrollment Outcomes After the End of Affirmative Action, compares first-time enrollments in 2022 and 2023 to enrollments in 2024 at over 3,000 colleges and universities for more than 3 million freshmen.

Noncredit workforce education has emerged as a vital yet underexamined pathway in American higher education. Accounting for an estimated 40% of community college enrollment nationwide (American Association of Community Colleges, 2024), noncredit programs attract millions of adult learners annually. These programs serve diverse needs, providing occupational training geared toward adults seeking skills for new or…

Research has long shown that graduation likelihood is linked to a student’s financial resources, family’s educational background, gender, and ethnicity. But Lumina-funded research now reveals that an institution’s actions and culture matter as well.

The 2025 update to HCM's landscape analysis of state investments in short-term credential pathways. The latest and most comprehensive analysis identifies 111 active state-funded initiatives across 34 states.

California students now have more options to take courses offered by institutions that are geographically distant from them, expanding the course-taking landscape for students statewide. This brief explores how the growth of online course taking over the past 10 years has affected the geography of enrollment, specifically the choices students make about where they take…

College remains a strong financial investment even after accounting for student loan payments: degree holders earn on average $8,000 more per year than similar non-completers when accounting for debt ($10,400 without accounting for debt).

Net returns on educational credentials still yield substantial net earnings gains, reinforcing higher education as a worthwhile investment.