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Faced with a steep demographic cliff and a growing chorus of questions about value, higher education is wrestling with a somewhat unfamiliar question: How can the college admissions process evolve from gatekeeper to gateway?

This summer, the National Student Clearinghouse issued a new report with mixed news. While many states have made progress in re-enrolling people who have some college credit but have yet to earn their credential, the total population of U.S. adults in this group has grown. Now, over 43 million Americans have some college credit but stopped out before they could complete their first credential.

We are often asked to talk in settings that bring together business executives, government officials, higher education leaders, training experts, workforce officials, and people working to improve their local communities.

Reflections on higher ed’s role in democracy, citizenship, and our overall prosperity

Colleges and universities are doing a better job lately explaining the value of their degrees, and increasingly they’re getting important help in making that case.

This resource examines the role of stronger data systems in addressing challenges and barriers students must currently overcome to access postsecondary education, highlights efforts states and institutions are undertaking to streamline the admissions process, and identifies best practices that have emerged in the field.

Some of America’s most vital engines of post-high school learning and opportunity are overlooked and underfunded. Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) and Predominantly Black Community Colleges (PBCCs) play an outsized role in connecting people to learning, credentials, and careers, especially in communities that traditional schools have long underserved.

More than 82 million adults 25 years old and over have never enrolled in any postsecondary education, and another 43.1 million adults have some college credits, but no credential. Black, Hispanic, and Native American adults are disproportionately represented in both of these categories. But the fundamental structures and practices of colleges were not built with adult learners in mind, and particularly not adult learners of color.

Twenty-four states allow community and technical colleges to issue bachelor’s degrees. Podcast guests Dr. Debra Bragg, Jim Reed, and Sunaina Virendra talk through the pros and cons and discuss recent efforts to launch new community college baccalaureate programs.

Critics of higher education have a point: Average inflation-adjusted tuition has gone down, but remains too high. Degrees pay off, but too many grads struggle finding good jobs.

Americans have much more confidence in public colleges and universities than in private ones, accorindg to a new survey by Vanderbilt University’s Project on Unity and American Democracy.

It’s time to rethink our higher education systems to better serve today’s students.

This study sheds light on the motivations, challenges, and successes of the strategies and practices used by a set of postsecondary institutions that have enacted institutional change in support of adult learners of color.

Lumina supports innovation in higher education and the workforce through impact investing.

Forty-three million Americans have started college but left without earning a credential. That group, known as “some college, no credential,” or SCNC, is larger than the population of California. And it continues to grow.

Discover how higher education serves as a catalyst for climate solutions and societal progress in this live taping of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent podcast from the 2025 SXSW Podcast Lounge.

Something strange is happening in America: confidence in higher education is creeping back up. And not just among the usual suspects. Republicans, independents, people with and without degrees, Black and Hispanic communities. We’re seeing a thaw across the board.

Americans eager to gain new skills and energize their careers quickly and inexpensively are turning to increasingly popular short-term workforce programs.

Addressing economic, political, and social influences helps us build a stronger, more democratic society.

As the postsecondary landscape has changed, it is critical that the field develop a common language through the creation of a typology that can be used to describe the landscape of admissions innovations and the characteristics of each type as the basis to better understand their impact.