The national higher ed landscape as we know it:
U.S. colleges and universities enroll nearly 16 million students. Among the undergraduate population, 4 in 10 students leave college before completing a degree. Today, there are more than 40 million Americans with some college and no degree.
Create Robust Student Supports
Today’s students require policies that support their needs, both inside and outside the classroom.
How We Can Accomplish this:
Ensure the basic security of today’s students basic needs, health, and wellness
Expand supports for student parents and caretakers.
Ensure undocumented students who immigrated as children can access and afford postsecondary education.
Provide robust supports and protections for military-connected students.
Incentivize evidence driven strategies to increase completion for today’s students.
Connecting Opportunities
So multiple pathways through learning are valued and connected.
We can do this by connecting:
-
Workers and learners to on-ramps that lead to quality programs, work, and further education
-
Learners to workforce development, higher education, and employment pathways
-
The 39 million Americans who have some college and no credential with a route to return to higher education
Now is the time to:
-
Expand Pell Grants to make high-quality, short-term programs affordable
-
Reset academic and financial standing for returning students
-
Increase access to credit for prior learning
Delivering Value
So postsecondary programs provide value for learners in their pursuit of a career and further education.
We can do this by ensuring:
-
Institutions can innovate and evolve while providing high-quality education
-
Students are protected from low-quality education
-
Data collection is improved to include all students
Now is the time to:
-
Ensure gainful employment includes earning and repayment metrics that support today's students' success
-
Incentivize accreditors to assess institutions' measurements of student outcomes
-
Count all students in national data systems