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.
Featured Resources
Some highlights of Lumina's work
We're sharing tools and takeaways from our efforts to create a better-educated nation.
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
State Strategy Labs
Lumina supports state leaders’ efforts to increase education levels by offering nonpartisan research, data, peer advice, and technical support.
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.
Focus Magazine, Fall 2024: Building a better bachelor’s
Sept. 4, 2024
In this Focus, you’ll visit three very different colleges that have been in the vanguard of the effort to transform the four-year experience to benefit today’s students.
Tracking College Tuition Growth
July 31, 2024
Previous research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond analyzed the rapid tuition growth that occurred from the late 1980s to 2010. That research indicated several key factors drove the rise in college tuition: large expansions in the federal student loan program, a dramatic increase in the college-earnings premium, steady increases in average parental income,…
Increasing Access to High-Demand Occupational Training
July 25, 2024
“Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead” is a state-funded last-dollar scholarship program for students enrolling in eligible associate degree, certificate, and noncredit occupational training programs in the Virginia Community College System in five high-demand fields: early childhood education, healthcare, information technology, public safety, and skilled trades (construction and manufacturing).
The Latest Insights Into Academic Integrity
July 25, 2024
Generative artificial intelligence has potential in education, but there are concerns about the possibility of increased cheating facilitated by the technology, as acknowledged by instructors and students. This report from Wiley offers findings from a survey of 850 instructors and 2,067 students about their experiences with academic integrity, the challenges they’re currently facing, and what […]
The Future of Good Jobs
July 25, 2024
Economic opportunity will increasingly favor workers with higher levels of education and training, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
A Path Forward: Fixing Student Debt and Finding a Pathway to Good Jobs
July 25, 2024
The Biden-Harris Administration’s student debt relief efforts aim to alleviate the burden on borrowers, particularly those from marginalized communities. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court decision to block broad forgiveness under the HEROES Act, the administration has forgiven $167 billion through targeted measures like the SAVE Plan, which caps payments at 5% of income and forgives…
Community Colleges and the Emerging Green Economy
July 24, 2024
To limit the impacts of climate change, the United States set targets in 2021 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. To meet these targets, the federal government has been investing in new energy and transportation infrastructure at a massive scale.…
Estimated Eligibility and Receipt Among Food Insecure College Students
July 23, 2024
An estimated 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity in 2020, according to student data analysis from the Government Accountability Office.
2024 Graduate Employability Report
July 19, 2024
Despite a strong labor market and high demand for skilled talent, employers today continue to struggle to find and retain talent to support ever-changing business needs. Additionally, the talent gap is exacerbated by the reality that many new graduates entering the workforce—52%—are working in jobs that don’t make use of their degree or credential.
Exploring Basic Needs Support Across Public and Community College Libraries
July 16, 2024
There are many intersections between public and community college libraries, both in the populations they serve and their functions within their local communities. Both types of libraries play a crucial role in supporting the diverse needs of their communities, serving as hubs for education, information, and essential services.
Ten Education and Work Issues at Stake in the 2024 Election
July 16, 2024
In November, Americans will choose the next president and decide which political party controls the two houses of Congress. As with all national elections, much attention will be paid to a handful of high-profile, often controversial issues, some related to differences in approaches to governance, others to the personal qualities of the candidates.
The Educational and Labor Market Impacts of Maryland’s Grow-Your-Own Teacher Recruitment Program
July 12, 2024
“Grow-your-own” (GYO) programs seek to address teacher shortages by recruiting locally. Interest in these programs—which recruit high school students, college students, or career changers—has ballooned over the past decade. The programs offer an attractive model because teacher shortages are typically a local problem and recruiting locally is more likely to yield teachers who are demographically…
Time for Class 2024
June 12, 2024
This year’s Time for Class details the use of digital learning tools and how these innovations continue to improve access and flexibility in current online, hybrid, and in-person learning environments.
Regional Solutions for Growing Quality Green Jobs
May 19, 2024
Growing a vibrant green economy is crucial to improving our environmental and economic well-being. But for leaders working to build a more sustainable future, navigating the many environmental, social, labor, and political challenges of pursuing this vision can be overwhelming.
How Clear Is Their Path: Guided Career Pathways and Community College Students
May 19, 2024
Community colleges are often called the “engines of social and economic mobility.” As low-cost and open access institutions, they serve as a gateway to higher education for students who otherwise may be excluded, particularly those in historically underserved and underrepresented populations.
The State of Higher Education 2024
May 8, 2024
The 2024 State of Higher Education study includes responses from over 14,000 U.S. adults aged 18 to 59 without a college degree
Reconnect, Re-Enroll, and Rise
April 24, 2024
In the fall of 2019, 2.6 million students started their college careers. The following semester, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, bringing with it unprecedented adversity for learners. Facing financial hardship, learning challenges, and overwhelming anxiety and grief, 679,000 students would not return for their second year. As the impact of COVID-19 ebbed and flowed with vaccine…
Progress Interrupted
April 24, 2024
Less than one year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ended race-conscious affirmative action, drawing heightened attention to long-standing inequities in the higher education system. A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce demonstrates that even with race-conscious affirmative action, diversity gains made at the nation’s most selective colleges and universities…
Advancing What Works to Intentionally Serve Latino Students: Opportunities for Action: 2024
April 23, 2024
For more than 17 years, Excelencia in Education has informed, organized, and compelled changes to advance access and success in higher education for Latinos. The group’s latest report details programs that are qualitatively and quantitatively improving and increasing the access, success, and degree completion of Latino students in higher education.
How Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children Fit Into the Future U.S. Labor Market
April 22, 2024
Powerful forces are increasing the pace of change in the U.S. economy and labor force. The increased adoption of automation, rise of generative AI, and major public investments in construction, the green economy, and semiconductor production will reshape labor demand over the next decade.