Virginia
Attainment
Current State Attainment Rate
54.6%
State Attainment Rate Goal*
60.5%
*Virginia will be the top state in educational attainment and reach the 60.5 percent / 10 percent benchmarks of working adults having a degree/certificate by 2030. Goal set by State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2015.
State Policy Recommendations
Set a Goal
100%
Track Progress
100%
Technical Assistance
Lumina provides technical assistance funds and consulting support to state leaders and organizations working to increase post-high school education levels in their states.
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Set a Goal
Set a Goal
Set an ambitious goal
Statewide goals help state leaders, college and university officials, employers, and community representatives establish a shared agenda. A strong goal meets these criteria:
Quantifiable. Includes a number or percentage increase that can be quantitatively measured over time
Challenging. Represents a stretch. For example, it cannot be easily achieved by following historic trends
Time-specific. Tied to a long-term target date to demonstrate commitment and drive expectations
Addresses gaps. Designed to close attainment gaps for underrepresented populations, particularly students who are Black, Hispanic, or Native American; people from low-income families, and adults who have not yet earned credentials.
Codified. Formalized in a way that influences the state's postsecondary strategic plan, budgeting practices and/or state policy initiatives
Track Progress
Track Progress
Track progress toward the goal
Accountability metrics and dashboards help support and measure progress toward state attainment goals. This includes:
Metrics. Limited number of metrics are identified to monitor interim progress toward the goal
State-identified priority populations. Metrics are disaggregated by the state’s priority populations to identify and monitor gaps
Publicly available dashboards. Data dashboard is published online and accessible to the public to show these metrics and their trends
Annual reports. Metrics and dashboard are updated at least annually
Maryland
Other State Progress
Maryland
Lumina's state policy agenda reflects the shifts in state policy needed to reach the nation's 60% attainment goal. These policies provide clear steps to drive their education reform needs.
View Data »
A Stronger Nation
54.6% attainment rate in Virginia

Virginia's overall rate of educational attainment has increased by 11.2 percentage points since 2008.

Compare to other states »
Additional Resources
Budget and policy planning recommended to meet Virginia’s 2030 attainment plan