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.
Lumina @ 25
May 5, 2025
The national higher education policy landscape and state-level attainment have changed significantly since 2008, with Lumina playing a leading role. Through Strategy Labs and its strategic partnerships, Lumina has fostered a legacy of state-level support that has been instrumental in advancing goals for educational attainment and workforce alignment. This sustained focus on building state capacity,…
Flexible, Holistic Approaches
Jan. 27, 2025
Suppose postsecondary spaces, campuses, curricula, and classrooms (hybrid, virtual, or traditional) are deeply held as bastions of opportunity, growth, and pipelines to economic growth in and for our communities. In that case, we must examine the message of the late bell hooks. How do we facilitate welcome? How have we established ourselves as a place…
Strong Relationships
Dec. 5, 2024
Culturally Sustaining Processes involve a range of practices that acknowledge the different lived experiences of marginalized populations. Historically underrepresented populations may include low-income students, first-generation students, adult learners, students of color, and women in STEM, with students often having intersecting identities that include more than one category of marginalization.
Empowering Environments
Dec. 4, 2024
In the wake of multiple pandemics (including COVID-19 and racial injustice), community college leaders have increasingly sought to be forward-leaning on issues of equity, reflecting a significant step forward in advancing social justice. However, prominent and frequently used frames and approaches, like anti-racist frameworks, may ultimately fall short of producing the type of leadership necessary…
Education Needs to Improve Communications and Support around the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Sept. 24, 2024
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the entry ramp to federal grants and loans that many students depend on to afford college. Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 in part to make it easier to apply for federal aid. However, the rollout of the new FAFSA has suffered from numerous challenges…
Practices to Increase Employer Adoption of Inclusive Apprenticeship
Sept. 19, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor hopes to expand registered apprenticeships to new industries and occupations where apprenticeship is not widely used, including healthcare and information technology, as well as to populations typically underrepresented in apprenticeships.
Straight From the Source
April 19, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered how Texas community colleges address the challenges that arise while students are pursuing a postsecondary education. As colleges across the state adapted to distribute an unprecedented amount of federal emergency relief funding quickly and efficiently, they developed innovative practices for assessing student need, strengthening outreach to students, and implementing more…
The Federal Student Loan Default System Keeps Families in Poverty.
March 28, 2024
For too long, the dream of pursuing a college degree has turned into a nightmare of federal student loan default for millions of students. Default disproportionately affects Black students and first-generation students, and most of those who experience default entered college from a low-income background. Student loan default is one of many ways that Americans…
How HEER Funding Rescued Community Colleges From the Pandemic
March 5, 2024
During the COVID-19 pandemic, community colleges lost an unprecedented 15 percent of year-on-year enrollments, far beyond the usual annual fluctuation of +/-2 percent, says a report from the Community College Research Center. Federal funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund more than made up for tuition losses at community colleges, raising their average […]
National and State Impacts of FAFSA Simplification
Oct. 25, 2023
The changes mandated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act, passed in December 2020, represent a significant overhaul of the federal financial aid process. This report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association uses national- and state-level data to explore and assess how FAFSA simplification will affect specific states, sectors,…
Nourishing the Nation While Starving: The Underfunding of Black Land-Grant Colleges and Universities
July 24, 2023
Historically Black land-grant colleges and universities, established by the Agricultural College Act of 1890 (the Second Morrill Act of 1890), have educated students and nourished the nation since their inception. Despite a legacy of limited support, HBCU land-grant institutions make rich research contributions in crop production, soil sciences, food engineering, biotechnology, and other areas, and…
The Complication With FAFSA Simplification
April 12, 2023
The goal of the 2020 FAFSA Simplification Act is to make it easier for students to apply for financial aid by significantly reducing the number of questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The law also includes substantive changes in the underlying formula that determines the amount of financial aid for…
Exploring the Relationship Between Student Loan Forgiveness, the Pell Bonus, and Race
Nov. 3, 2022
In August, the Biden administration announced a plan to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loans for almost all borrowers, with up to an extra $10,000 for borrowers who had received Pell grants. The additional forgiveness for Pell borrowers intends to address the racial wealth gap, as Black and Hispanic students are more likely…
Student Loan Debt and Access to Homeownership for Borrowers of Color
Nov. 1, 2022
Research finds a weak causal relationship between student loan debt and homeownership. Still, less access to generational wealth among young Black adults is a root cause of higher student debt burden and a substantial barrier to accessing homeownership. The inability to repay debt, or to build wealth through homeownership, in turn, contributes to the persistence…
Trapped by Default
July 27, 2022
Today, approximately 7.5 million Americans are in default on their federal student loans. Borrowers enter default when they miss 270 days’ worth of payments, and being behind on student loan bills comes with severe financial consequences. Borrowers in default can be charged high collection fees and have portions of their wages, tax refunds, and federal…
Pell Access and Completion Series
July 13, 2022
The Pell Grant is targeted to students with the greatest financial need, and many policymakers find the Pell Grant a useful policy lever for promoting access and success for students from lower- and moderate-income backgrounds. There are several examples where policymakers use Pell eligibility to allocate resources and hold colleges accountable for their outcomes; however,…
States Leading the Way in SNAP Eligibility and SNAP Outreach to Students
June 6, 2022
Across the country, food insecurity is harming the ability of college students to achieve their educational and professional goals. One of the most effective ways to ensure stable food access is by signing students up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Unfortunately, too few students with need actually enroll in SNAP.
Overseeing the Overseers: Can Federal Oversight of Accreditation Improve Student Outcomes?
May 25, 2022
Since the 1960s, the accreditation process and accreditors have played an important gatekeeping function for institutions’ access to federal student financial aid. Recognizing this role, Congress and the Department of Education have introduced and modified federal requirements and oversight of accreditors to ensure that these gatekeepers are protecting students and public dollars. While these federal…
Who Benefits From the Student Loan Payment Pause and What Will Happen When It Ends?
March 31, 2022
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government stopped requiring payment on most federal student loans. This “payment pause” was originally set to expire in September 2020, but after several extensions it is set to expire May 1, 2022. This report from the California Policy Lab and the Student Loan Law Initiative describes…
Student Loan Repayment During the Pandemic Forbearance
March 22, 2022
Amid calls to extend the two-year pause on the repayment of federally held student loans, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York predict in a report released this week that borrowers are likely to struggle financially once forbearance ends. The result, according to the report, will be a significant rise in delinquencies, both…