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.
Graduate Degrees Risky and Unequal Paths to the Top
Sept. 25, 2024
Higher earnings, lower unemployment rates, career advancement, and a genuine curiosity for learning all drive interest in graduate education, but high costs and rising student debt levels undermine the perceived value of graduate degrees. Without clear information about degree programs’ debt and earnings outcomes, prospective students are unable to make informed choices about their graduate…
The Challenges and Benefits of Pursuing Bachelor’s Programs at Rural-Serving Community Colleges
April 15, 2024
Access to four-year colleges is often limited in rural communities, with residents frequently relying on community colleges as their entry point to higher education. According to analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 21 percent of rural adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 36 percent of urban residents.
Who Profits? Students’ Experiences at For-Profit Colleges
Jan. 20, 2023
For-profit colleges consistently generate regulatory scrutiny and litigation because of their recruitment tactics, graduation rates, costs and loan default rates. Compared to public higher education institutions, for-profit colleges have been criticized for being more expensive with similar or worse job market outcomes for graduates, who tend to be left with higher debt. They also enroll…
Counting U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials
Dec. 5, 2022
A report from Credential Engine examines secondary and postsecondary credentials in the United States. This year’s Count of U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials report identified 1,076,358 credentials in 18 detailed credential categories across four broad types of credential providers.
Playbook for Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts
March 16, 2022
Bachelor’s degree attainment for community college transfer students is one underutilized but essential pathway for reducing equity gaps in higher education. One way to achieve this at scale is through state-level initiatives dedicated to supporting transfer from community colleges to not-for-profit independent colleges. This report from Ithaka S+R looks at successful statewide transfer initiatives in…
Reengaging Adult Learners to Complete College Degrees: Learning From Tennessee
Jan. 28, 2022
This report highlights innovative policies and practices from the Tennessee Reconnect program as an example of an effort to help thousands of adult learners in New York City earn a credential.
The Degree Reclamation Playbook
Jan. 13, 2022
At least 36 million Americans have stopped short of earning a college degree. A new “playbook” from the Institute for Higher Education Policy distills more than a decade’s worth of best practices into a practical guide to help institutions support individuals with some college credits but no degree.
Building Ohio’s Workforce Through Stackable Credentials
June 10, 2021
Ohio is a leader in scaling stackable credential programs. The state passed initial legislation on stackable credentials nearly 15 years ago, and it has since rolled out a series of initiatives that expand opportunities for individuals to stack credentials. Have institutions changed the programs that they offer? Are students stacking credentials, and, when they do, are they…
Strategies for Improving Postsecondary Credential Attainment Among Black, Hispanic, and Native American Adults
May 25, 2021
This set of three studies from the Community College Research Center examines what states and community colleges can do to address the needs of Black, Hispanic, and Native American adult learners who are pursuing postsecondary education and training as a path to re-employment, better jobs, and higher incomes.
Making Information About Credentials More Actionable
May 21, 2021
Seven state leadership organizations and five workforce, education, and data advocacy/technical assistance experts have come together to build awareness, understanding, and demand for how policy can integrate credential transparency into education and workforce development state strategies. This brief from Credential Engine explores the ways that credential transparency can be supported, integrated, and leveraged within states.
The Short-term Credentials Landscape
May 5, 2021
Given the rapid growth in short-term programs, and policymakers’ fast-growing interest to invest federal higher education dollars into very-short-term credentials, we explore what the research does—and does not— show us about such credentials’ utility in the labor market. With concerns about equity, our review of the literature guides us towards caution, as a strong push…
Innovative Strategies to Close Postsecondary Attainment Gaps
Feb. 23, 2021
Across the country, students are unwittingly leaving postsecondary credentials on the table without institutions awarding the associate degrees they have earned. Many of these students are from populations that have been historically excluded from or overlooked in higher education, including Black, Latino, Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds. This report from the Institute for…
Counting U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials
Feb. 19, 2021
The credential landscape is vast—and it continues to grow. A recent report from Credential Engine shows 967,734 unique credentials in the United States. As in previous reports, the research demonstrates a need to dramatically improve transparency in the credential marketplace to promote economic growth and individual mobility.
Counting U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials
Feb. 11, 2021
The credential landscape is vast—and it continues to grow. A new report from Credential Engine shows 967,734 unique credentials in the United States. As in previous reports, the new research demonstrates the need to dramatically improve transparency in the credential marketplace to promote economic growth and individual mobility.
Invest in Career-Readiness Training for College Students
Feb. 2, 2021
Only 25 percent of the country’s 1.2 million first-generation or low-income college students are predicted to earn their degree and land a strong job or attend graduate school, according to this report from the American Enterprise Institute. The status quo exacerbates inequality and pushes the American dream further out of reach for many Americans. The…
Credential Transparency & P-20W Data Systems
Jan. 25, 2021
Over the next decade, employers will need to fill millions of jobs that require higher-order thinking skills, specialized knowledge, and education or training beyond high school. This report from Credential Engine explores how states can align education and employment information to meet their talent goals.
Badge Count 2020
Dec. 28, 2020
A new report from IMS Global and Credential Engine details the growth of Open Badges, which are verifiable, shareable, and contain information about achievements and what recipients did to earn the badge. According to the report, there are 475,000 total badges around the world that individuals can earn, 381,561 of which are available from issuers in the U.S. To date, there…
Mapping the College Transfer Process
Dec. 11, 2020
Working with the City University of New York, MDRC’s Center for Applied Behavioral Science maps factors that impede students transferring from community colleges. This blueprint shows the stages of that transfer process, with information about challenges at each stage and interventions informed by behavioral science to help overcome them.
The Role of Education in Taming Authoritarian Attitudes
Sept. 16, 2020
The classic tension between free will and determinism can be found in the contemporary college or university within disciplines ranging from sociology to neuroscience to political science. The enduring and challenging questions faculty, researchers, and students all wrestle with include: How much freedom do we really have? Do we decide and act with an understanding…
Lumina’s Strategic Plan
Sept. 15, 2020
Society’s need for talent and the drive to expand the proportion of Americans with quality education and training after high school to meet this need have never been more urgent. The confluence of a pandemic, severe unemployment and racial injustice has exposed the daunting challenges ahead. Yet overcoming such challenges is what has made our…