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.
Institutional Supports for Students with Stranded Credits
Nov. 9, 2023
A student survey evaluates the social realities facing students with stranded credits, how they acquired stranded credits, and what colleges and universities can do to support them better.
Exploring the Transfer Journeys of Over 7,000 Black Community College Students
Oct. 27, 2023
This report offers a selection of highlights from this comprehensive, statewide survey of transfer-intending African American/Black students.
Varying Levels of SUCCESS
Oct. 12, 2023
This report provides updated insight into the SUCCESS program after one year of participation for the first three evaluation student cohorts, covering fall 2020 through summer 2022.
Education for What?
Aug. 30, 2023
Despite enrollment and completion rates declining and Americans' confidence in higher education falling, the economic case for earning a college degree remains solid. College graduates earn about $1 million more over the course of their working years than U.S. adults with no college degree, on average.
Advancing Equity by Rethinking the Use of Tests in College Admissions
July 25, 2023
This brief discusses the equity implications of requiring college applicants to submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application for admission, considerations for college leaders examining test-optional polices, and ways in which test-free policies may address equity concerns related to standardized tests in college admissions. The brief concludes with recommendations for college…
Ensuring Fairness in College Admissions
July 25, 2023
This brief offers college leaders and admissions officials clear recommendations to ensure that their campus admissions are fair by rethinking recruitment strategies and demonstrated interest practices, and eliminating early decision and legacy admission.
The Urgency of Fair and Equitable Holistic Review of College Applicants
July 20, 2023
This brief is focused on holistic review, a strategy in college admissions that assesses an applicant’s unique experiences alongside a range of indicators that include grades, extra curriculars, environmental context, among other factors. For admissions officers and college leaders, it is a powerful tool and a fairer and more thoughtful approach to reviewing student applications…
Driving Toward a Degree 2023
July 18, 2023
Tyton Partners’ 2023 Driving Toward a Degree research publication focuses on measuring what practices, policies, and technology best support underserved racial/ethnic groups and students with financial need.
Infographic: Americans See the Value of College
July 14, 2023
Over two-thirds (78%) of Americans say completing additional education after high school helps an individual’s well-being.
How Federal Policymakers Can Respond to the Supreme Court’s Rulings on Race Conscious Admissions
July 5, 2023
The Supreme Court's decisions on Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC represent a serious step backward in the fight for racial equity and diversity in America that will harm all students and have serious repercussions.
Time for Class 2023
June 20, 2023
Digital learning has become a prominent feature of modern education, with the potential to provide personalized instruction through technology-enhanced tools, communication, design, and support services in online, hybrid, blended, and face-to-face learning environments. While digital learning tools can improve access and flexibility for underserved students, challenges exist that need to be addressed.
Some College, No Credential (SCNC) Student Outcomes
April 21, 2023
This report shows the “some college, no credential” (SCNC) population—former students who stopped out without earning a credential—is up 3.6 percent from a year earlier while fewer SCNC students returned and completed a credential. This suggests there’s an increasingly missed opportunity for states and institutions to reengage SCNC students.
Level Up: Leveraging Explicit Value for Every Learner, Unapologetically
March 16, 2023
Decades-long data show a persistent and troubling trend in higher education: Black student enrollments in U.S. postsecondary education have been declining precipitously since 2011, particularly at community colleges.
Investment in the Future
Feb. 20, 2023
Steps taken to address racial inequality in the private sector and higher education are not always altruistic. This brief examines the economic impact of having a representative workforce, focusing on the state of North Carolina (NC). We discuss the importance of successful education programming designed to address issues related to Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and people…
Race, Ethnicity, and the Design of State Grant Aid Programs
Jan. 26, 2023
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.
Building Inclusive Infrastructure
Jan. 23, 2023
What infrastructure do community colleges in New York have to support BIPOC adult learners? What are best practices for anti-racist and equity-supporting infrastructure?
Starting with Freedom in Mind
Dec. 14, 2022
The seminal book on guided pathways, Redesigning America’s Community Colleges (Bailey et al., 2015), outlines the importance of college stakeholders who seek to successfully adopt a guided pathways approach to start with the students’ end goal in mind. This end-in-mind approach at the onset of institutional guided pathways adoption is foundational as it provides the…
Supporting Adult Learners Through the SUCCESS Program
Dec. 7, 2022
In 2019, MDRC launched the Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS) project to improve college completion rates for traditionally underserved students — such as students from low-income backgrounds and students of color — at community and broad-access colleges. The SUCCESS program integrates multiple evidence-based components to help students stay enrolled and graduate, including proactive and holistic…
Addressing Historic Underfunding of HBCUs, #3
Dec. 6, 2022
This third and final brief in the series will explore Tennessee and its legislative attempts to curb underfunding. It is our hope that these case-studies and the set of briefs provide a blue print for how elected officials in other states can form bipartisan coalitions to support HBCUs and ensure they are equitably funded.
Addressing Historic Underfunding of HBCUs, #2
Dec. 6, 2022
Two briefs from The Hunt Institute explore how different states are trying to address the historic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.