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.
Geography of Opportunity
Dec. 17, 2024
Public broad access institutions (BAIs) play an important role in expanding educational opportunities and promoting upward mobility; however, not all communities have equal access to BAIs. This inequality affects where students go to college—it even affects how they get there, how much they pay, and whether they complete their degrees.
Silence in the Classroom
Dec. 11, 2024
A new report from the foundation for Individual Rights and Expression finds that faculty members are four times more likely to self-censor than they were in the 1950s at the height of the Cold War and McCarthyism.
The Student Loan Default Divide
Dec. 10, 2024
Black and Hispanic student loan borrowers experience disproportionate repayment challenges compared to their white peers, says this report the Pew Charitable Trusts shows.
End-of-Season Report, 2023–2024
Aug. 22, 2024
Common App started as an experiment in 1975 with 15 colleges, led by college admission officers and school counselors to streamline the admission process for students. Today, Common App has grown to include more than 1,000 member institutions across the United States and around the world.
Progress Interrupted
April 24, 2024
Less than one year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ended race-conscious affirmative action, drawing heightened attention to long-standing inequities in the higher education system. A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce demonstrates that even with race-conscious affirmative action, diversity gains made at the nation’s most selective colleges and universities…
Advancing What Works to Intentionally Serve Latino Students: Opportunities for Action: 2024
April 23, 2024
For more than 17 years, Excelencia in Education has informed, organized, and compelled changes to advance access and success in higher education for Latinos. The group’s latest report details programs that are qualitatively and quantitatively improving and increasing the access, success, and degree completion of Latino students in higher education.
How Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children Fit Into the Future U.S. Labor Market
April 22, 2024
Powerful forces are increasing the pace of change in the U.S. economy and labor force. The increased adoption of automation, rise of generative AI, and major public investments in construction, the green economy, and semiconductor production will reshape labor demand over the next decade.
College Value at Hispanic-Serving Institutions
March 26, 2024
Current assessments of college value in the United States fall short of centering race in their measurements if they do not account for the unique economic conditions of racially marginalized students before, during, and after they leave college, states a new report from The Institute for College Access & Success. Commonly used economic indicators, such […]
Truths About DEI on College Campuses
March 20, 2024
Twelve higher education scholars are joining forces to respond to what they call politicized attacks and misinformation put forth in a March 7 congressional hearing about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on college campuses.
Advancing Equity Through a Universal Financial Aid Application Policy
March 11, 2024
Financial aid opens the door to a college degree and makes higher education a real possibility for students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Student knowledge about financial aid availability and application processes, however, varies substantially by race, ethnicity, and income. Despite belonging to families with lower-than-average family incomes and higher-than-average rates of poverty, Black,…
The Future of Fair Admissions
Dec. 13, 2023
Legacy preferences operate in the shadows of college admissions, according to this report from Education Reform Now. They serve the students who need the least help in gaining access to a high-quality education and exclude the students most likely to benefit from attending a highly selective institution. Colleges that continue to maintain legacy admissions are…
Two Pandemics: Racial Disparities in Basic Needs Insecurity Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Oct. 23, 2023
Higher education is essential for creating a more equitable, prosperous, civic-minded, and healthy society. Yet, wide disparities remain when it comes to access and success in higher education based on race and ethnicity. Racist policies and structural barriers mean that not all students have equal opportunities to attain an education and succeed in college. These…
State of Diversity: The Native Tech Ecosystem
Oct. 16, 2023
Despite decades of efforts and hundreds of millions in funding to expand diversity in computing and technology, Native communities continue to remain marginalized. As drivers of regional and rural economies, Tribal Nations are at the forefront of job growth and should be considered critical partners in the future of the technology sector. However, due to…
How to Achieve Diverse Access to College in a Post–Affirmative Action World
Sept. 27, 2023
There is an abundance of research on the college admissions process and the practices selective schools employ to evaluate and select students. Most findings are complex, nuanced, or conflicting.
Advancing Racial Justice on Campus
Sept. 15, 2023
Racial justice in higher education cannot be meaningfully advanced without campus leadership understanding the lived experiences of students, particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx/a/o, Asian, or Pacific Islander. In the three-plus years following the murder of George Floyd and the social uprisings in 2020, colleges and universities have continued to think critically about…
When the Voices of Women Students of Color Are Heard
July 20, 2023
A common narrative about women students of color in postsecondary education centers on the fact that they typically outperform men of color on measures such as college access, retention, and persistence. As a result, decision-makers might conclude that women of color do not need additional supports from institutions of higher education. Although they do earn…
Restricted Access to Lucrative College Majors Harms Underrepresented Students Most
July 11, 2023
Choosing a college major is a high-stakes decision frequently discussed by economists and policymakers because of the significant, long-term impacts of major on a student’s financial success after graduation.
Rising Above the Threshold: How to Increase Equitable Postsecondary Value
June 21, 2023
There is overwhelming evidence that pursuing a college education provides substantial economic and non-economic benefits to students. But how much a degree is worth depends heavily on the institution a student attends. Unfortunately, value also is still influenced by a student’s race, income, and gender, due to inequities in today’s higher education and workforce systems.
Race, Elite College Admissions, and the Courts
June 7, 2023
The world of undergraduate admissions has changed dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 80 percent of all four-year colleges and universities do not require fall 2023 applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores. The overwhelming majority of those schools plan to continue test-optional admissions policies permanently.
Most Oppose Banning the Consideration of Race and Ethnicity in College and University Admissions
May 30, 2023
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing two cases involving the University of North Carolina and Harvard University on whether the schools discriminate against white and Asian American applicants.