GRADUATE MORE STUDENTS

Lumina Foundation wants to find ways that state finance systems could be redesigned to reward institutions for graduating students, not just enrolling them.

The nation's ability to meet future workforce needs depends on a higher education system that boosts student participation and degree attainment. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the fastest-growing jobs of the future will require a college degree. By 2025, there will be a shortage of 16 million college-educated adults in the U.S. workforce. More »

Promoting timely degree completion can lead to increased capacity for new enrollment.For example, New York's Bundy Aid program rewards private institutions for graduating New York State residents, providing strong incentives for ensuring degree completion. Western Governors University uses test-out provisions and other institutions use College Level Examination Program scores to allow qualified students to advance faster. Read Hitting Home: Quality, Cost, and Access Challenges Confronting Higher Education Today. PDF
Disparities in higher education degree attainment continue to persist across racial and ethnic minorities. African-American students earn bachelors' degrees at half (18 percent)—and Latinos at one-third (11 percent)—the rate of Caucasian students (34 percent). Low-income students earn bachelors' degrees at one-eighth the rate of their more advantaged counterparts (9 percent versus 75 percent by age 24). See the Education Trust's Access to Success. PDF
Socioeconomic status affects higher education degree attainment. Research suggests that students from middle-class families are at least three to four times more likely to graduate from college than students from low-income families. Students from higher-income families are as much as 10 times more likely to receive a college degree. Read WICHE's State Grant Aid and Its Effect on Students' College Choices. PDF
Students whose first academic experience in a community college is positive are more likely to remain in school and successfully transfer to a four-year college. Institutional programs in the form of guidance and academic support, tutoring and resource centers can have a positive effect on retention and degree completion, especially among low-income and educationally disadvantaged students. Read Beyond Access: How the First Semester Matters for Community College Students' Aspirations and Persistence. PDF
Students who attend college part time face unique challenges in their quest to earn a degree. Recent figures from the National Center for Education Statistics show that 15 percent of part-time students completed a degree or certificate six years after enrolling, and 73 percent left college without earning a degree. By contrast, 64 percent of full-time students earned either a degree or certificate within six years, and 72 percent persisted (either earned a degree or were still enrolled in college). Colleges can address the needs of part-time students by introducing more engagement opportunities into their day-to-day activities—either by making the engagement mandatory or by building it into the classroom experience. Read Committing to Student Engagement: Reflections on CCSSE's First Five Years. PDF