While a greater number of Americans than ever aspire to a college degree, there are several barriers to equitable access, depending on where students live, their socioeconomic status, whether they start their education at a community college, and their age and race.

Working in collaboration with several partners, we are expanding educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds:

  • The American Talent Initiative: Led by Ithaka S+R and Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the American Talent Initiative is dedicated to substantially expanding opportunity and access for low- and moderate-income students.
  • Research on state policies: With funding from the Joyce Foundation, we are investigating the efficacy of a wide range of state policies in expanding college opportunity and closing attainment gaps.
  • Improving opportunities for veterans: With the College Board, we hosted a conference on November 14, 2018 on expanding access for veterans to colleges and universities with high graduation rates.
  • Higher education in prisons: As part of a grant to ITHAKA from the Mellon Foundation, we are reviewing the landscape of postsecondary correctional education programs (PSCEs) and conducting original research on PSCE teaching and student success.