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.
The Reality of Free Speech on College Campuses
April 7, 2025
Learn more about student perspectives on free speech on college campuses Despite national debates suggesting that students face suppression of their views on college campuses, the latest Lumina Foundation-Gallup study tells a different story. The Beyond the Headlines: The Reality of Free Speech on College Campuses report finds that most bachelor's degree students, regardless of political…
Student Basic Needs Survey Report (2023-2024)
Feb. 25, 2025
This report shares findings from 91 institutions across 16 states that participated in Hope Impact Partnerships (HIP) and fielded The Hope Center Student Basic Needs Survey between Spring 2023 and Summer 2024.
In Students’ Own Words
Feb. 3, 2025
Research brief summarizes findings from interviews with Black students about the moment they knew they would be successful in their transfer journeys.
Moments of Insight
Jan. 29, 2025
You don’t know the courage it took for your adult students to get into that room, or just to show up virtually, to that classroom. So, try to meet them where they are. See the obstacles that they’ve already overcome. See their goals as strengths. You can turn those strengths from life into strengths in…
The Net Benefits of Raising Bachelor’s Degree Completion through the City University of New York ACE Program
Dec. 18, 2024
Bachelor’s degree attainment is one of the most reliable indicators of an individual’s future economic and social advantage. Four-year college graduates earn more, pay more in taxes, practice healthier behaviors, and are more likely to vote and volunteer. Despite these documented benefits, gaps in BA attainment have widened over time, even as overall rates of…
Knocking at the College Door
Dec. 10, 2024
Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates has been an important resource for policymakers, decision-makers, researchers, and planners in education and workforce development since the first edition was produced in 1979. The 11th edition includes this comprehensive report and interactive data visualizations.
College Students Who Voted for Trump Were Twice as Likely to Rely on Podcasts for News
Dec. 3, 2024
A new poll from Intelligent.com shows that college students who voted for Donald Trump in November 2024 were twice as likely to get their news from podcasts as those who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Is College Worth It?
Nov. 28, 2024
The Pell Institute has released its latest report, Is College Worth It?: Black, Latinx, and Indigenous Student Voices on the Value of Postsecondary Credentials.
Insights from Adult Learners of Color
Nov. 5, 2024
These are pathways which reflect explicit race conscious policies, programs, and practices that actively address racial inequities to ensure student access and success and engage at an individual, system, and structural level to interrogate and ameliorate inequitable experiences and outcomes.
Factors Affecting First-Year Students’ College Choices
Sept. 30, 2024
This brief shares student perspectives on making application decisions, financing college, and choosing to attend their particular institution, helping leaders to understand students’ enrollment decisions and address challenges to postsecondary access.
Making Every Rung of the Credential Ladder Count
Sept. 16, 2024
Policymakers and educators have promoted vocational certificate programs at community colleges as an effective way to meet labor market demands and help individuals leave low-wage work.
Why Do Students Choose to Recommend Some Professors
Sept. 12, 2024
This study utilizes data from the ACUE Student Survey, which comprehensively captures information about students’ learning experiences and perceptions of their instructors. Through the analyses of both quantitative ratings and qualitative open-ended responses, this study aims to identify the key factors that shape students’ likelihood of recommending their instructors.
Give the Kids Some Credit.
Sept. 9, 2024
College rankings may be losing their luster among traditional college-bound high school students, with only about one in 10 stating that they care about an institution’s particular rank. The findings come from a new survey by the Art & Science Group.
American College Student Freedom, Progress and Flourishing Survey
Aug. 26, 2024
American colleges and universities play a vital role in shaping future political, cultural, and business leaders. However, there is a growing concern among the American public regarding the current state and direction of higher education and its influence on society. Recent surveys identify important challenges on college campuses related to free speech and tolerance of…
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.
Cost of College
April 17, 2024
This report finds that cost is a major perceived barrier to obtaining a postsecondary credential. However, despite concerns about cost, few understand the actual price of higher education—specifically, the price of obtaining a bachelor's degree.
Insights to Support Adult Learners at Community Colleges
April 3, 2024
In partnership with Lumina Foundation and Achieving the Dream, Equal Measure explored strategies that community colleges are using to support adult learners. Our vignette about the Prioritizing Adult Community College Enrollment (PACCE) initiative highlights Colorado Mountain College’s promising progress for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners.
College Banking and Credit Card Agreements
Dec. 18, 2023
In 2022, a report on banking and credit card agreements by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau described the high fees charged on student banking products endorsed by colleges. The report made clear that financial institutions and colleges may be steering students into expensive financial products.
Opportunities Denied: High-Achieving Black and Latino Students Lack Access to Advanced Math
Dec. 4, 2023
High-performing Black, Latino, and students from low-income backgrounds are not getting equal access to advanced math courses that more affluent or white students do, according to this report from the Education Trust and Just Equations.
After Everything
Nov. 16, 2023
By 2031, 72 percent of jobs in the US will require education and training beyond high school.