Gallup and Lumina Foundation have partnered to better understand barriers to enrollment, why currently enrolled students may be considering leaving their programs—and what makes them stay.

Many Black students in the U.S. face distinctive challenges to completing postsecondary programs. Six-year completion rates for any type of degree or certificate program are lower for Black students than for those in any other racial or ethnic group. Barriers to completion include the high financial cost of higher education and implicit and overt forms…

The nation’s educational attainment rate after high school in 2021 was 53.7 percent. This figure means 53.7 percent of working-age adults— those 25 to 64 years old—had earned college degrees or other credentials beyond a high school diploma that could lead to further education and better pay or jobs.

Community colleges, which can lead students to job opportunities and well-paying careers, are one of the main entry points to higher education for student parents. We use a conceptual framework that bridges career capital and community cultural wealth to understand student parents’ college and career trajectories.

Most states use need-based state grant programs to reduce financial barriers to college for students from low-income households. The policy design and eligibility requirements of these grant programs vary from state to state and even across sectors. But some policies may unintentionally disproportionately exclude students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups.

A framework to help state leaders craft and execute a 90-day plan for launching a talent agenda in their state that will attract business investment and higher-wage jobs.

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and success…

Individuals who left their jobs voluntarily since the start of the COVID pandemic were more likely to enroll in postsecondary education than those who lost their jobs, according to this report from the Strada Education Network. The biggest influence on their decision to enroll is whether they believed the program would result in a good…

Although a great deal of attention is paid to student debt, colleges and universities have increased their institutional debt substantially over the past several decades. Institutions primarily borrow these funds for capital investments on campus. This may include building new labs and educational facilities, sports arenas, or dormitories. The array of projects reflects the variation…

Test-only placement systems are associated with inaccurate placement determinations that can perpetuate college achievement gaps by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. In response, colleges across the country are increasingly experimenting with and adopting alternative placement strategies that reduce the number of students assigned to prerequisite developmental education and increase access to college-level courses.