Publications
Research Report
February 18, 2026
Beyond the Median: Earnings Dispersion Across Programs in South Carolina
Findings from Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Data
Which academic programs provide consistent economic returns and which leave graduates facing greater uncertainty? This brief uses Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data to examine earnings dispersion within programs of study in South Carolina. While median earnings are often used to assess program outcomes, they can obscure wide variation among graduates. By analyzing the 25th and 75th percentile earnings, this study highlights which programs provide consistent economic returns and which leave graduates facing greater uncertainty.
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Research Report
February 18, 2026
Industry Concentration and Workforce Pathways in South Carolina
Findings from Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Data
Which academic programs lead to clear labor market placement, and which lead to more diffuse or uncertain employment outcomes? This Ithaka S+R report uses South Carolina’s Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data to examine how graduates from different fields of study are distributed across industries, in collaboration with the PSEO Coalition.
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Research Report
February 18, 2026
Rural Graduate Retention and State Workforce Contributions in South Carolina
Findings from Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Data
This Ithaka S+R report uses Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data to examine how the earnings, employment locations, and contributions to South Carolina’s workforce differ for graduates of rural- and urban-serving institutions in the state. By comparing outcomes for associate and bachelor’s degree graduates, the analysis highlights how the urbanicity of where students study shapes both individual economic trajectories and the extent to which graduates remain employed in South Carolina.
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Issue Brief
February 12, 2026
Improving Oversight in Higher Education
Policy Recommendations on Accreditation
Accreditation is a central feature of higher education quality assurance in the United States, but historically, much of the process has operated out of public view and within a statutory framework that has not changed much in recent years. Declining public trust in higher education and questions about its value, however, have resulted in greater public and political scrutiny of the performance of colleges and universities.
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Research Report
February 12, 2026
What Commission Action Letters Reveal
A Thematic Analysis of WSCUC Decisions (2012–2024)
In the United States, quality assurance is directly tied to the accreditation process. By analyzing the decisions that accreditors record in their formal action letters, we can identify the most common issues that institutions face and the priorities that shape accreditors’ decisions.
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Research Report
February 12, 2026
Regional Accreditation Standards
A New Framework for Comparison
Accreditation is an important aspect of higher education, yet its processes and impacts remain largely opaque to the public. This research project aims to systematically analyze accreditation standards from each of the major US accreditors as well as offer insights into how these criteria influence student success and post-graduation outcomes.
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Research Report
February 12, 2026
Understanding the Impact of Data-Driven Accreditor Practices on Student Outcomes
This paper examines whether the adoption of data-driven practices by the seven former regional accreditors is associated with measurable changes in student outcomes. We document when accreditors introduced four observable practices—public dashboards, public-facing reports, peer benchmarking policies, and internal dashboards—and compare the onset of those practices with resulting changes in student outcomes.
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Case Study
January 28, 2026
Shared Space, Shared Mission
How the King Library Expands Access and Strengthens Community Impact
Collaboration between San José State University and San José Public Library culminated in the establishment of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. This unique partnership unites the resources, staff, and missions of both a large urban university and a major city library system, offering insights into the opportunities and complexities of co-located service delivery. The case study explores how this partnership has evolved over time, including governance structures, service integration, communication practices, and lessons learned for institutions considering or…
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Issue Brief
December 8, 2025
Supporting Adult Learner Re-Enrollment Statewide
Key Considerations from Addressing Re-Engagement and Re-Enrollment for New Jersey Learners with Some College, No Degree
According to recent National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data, at the start of the 2023-24 academic year the population of students with some college, no credential (SCNC) under the age of 65 nationwide reached 37.6 million. Over 757,000 of those working age, stopped out students are New Jersey residents. Re-engaging and re-enrolling these students supports individual economic mobility, generates new tuition revenue for institutions, and advances regional education and economic goals.
Research Report
December 8, 2025
Addressing Re-Engagement and Re-Enrollment Barriers for New Jersey Learners with Some College, No Degree
Data, Policies, and Solutions
Re-engaging and re-enrolling adult learners with some college credit but no degree is an increasing priority nationally and in New Jersey. Credential completion not only enables individuals to access higher paying jobs, but also generates tuition revenue for institutions and supports regional economic development. Recognizing this and the other benefits experienced when students return, New Jersey’s higher education institutions and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) have made significant investments in re-engaging and re-enrolling stopped out students.
Research Report
December 4, 2025
From Concept to Campus
Lessons from the Design, Launch, and Growth of Transfer Explorer
This report tells the story behind Transfer Explorer—charting its design, pilot, launch, and ongoing improvements—to illuminate the decisions, and partnerships that made it possible and to highlight how Transfer Explorer may be leveraged in the future to improve credit mobility policies and procedures across the country. In doing so, the report is less about the outcomes of Transfer Explorer itself and more on the processes that shaped it.
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Research Report
November 13, 2025
Exploring Online Enrollment Trends in the Era of State Authorization Reciprocity
By 2020, one in four undergraduates were enrolled in exclusively online programs, double the number enrolled in 2012. The policy landscape concerning online education changed markedly with the establishment of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) in 2014. This regulatory change made it easier for institutions to offer online programs to students who reside out of state while completing the program. Using nationally representative survey data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this report documents who is enrolling in…
Research Report
November 12, 2025
State Uses of IPEDS Data
Insights for Strengthening the National Postsecondary Education Data Infrastructure
In collaboration with the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), and with support from Lumina Foundation, we explored how state higher education agencies use data from IPEDS, the challenges they encounter, and their perspectives on the future of the federal postsecondary education data collection. In this report, we share our findings from a national survey as well as interviews with 14 SHEEO leaders, including directors and specialists in research, data, and analysis, as well as several senior executives and…
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Playbook
November 3, 2025
Re-Engaging Adult Learners with Some College but No Credential in Pennsylvania
A Playbook
This playbook is designed to help institutions think about the key strategies and concrete next steps to engage and support adult learners from pre-enrollment through credential completion. It is organized around four areas of impact in the adult learner re-enrollment journey, which guided the year-long Pennsylvania Adult Learner Re-Engagement Community of Practice. Over 50 institutions were represented in the community of practice, including public and private four-year colleges, community colleges, occupational training providers, and more.
Issue Brief
September 30, 2025
Pell Restoration and Approval
Following the Data
In 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act restored access to Pell Grants for students who are incarcerated, reversing a nearly 30-year ban on their eligibility for federal aid. To access Pell Grant funding, eligible students must be enrolled in federally recognized Prison Education Programs. In this brief, we walk through the multi-year, multi-phase process to demystify the federal regulations and highlight its significance in improving higher education in prison data infrastructure—a critical need for the field.
Issue Brief
September 24, 2025
Supporting First-Generation Students in a Time of Crisis
Lessons from the Kessler Scholars Program Response to COVID-19
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on higher education and students. In the spring of 2020, amidst great uncertainty, many colleges and universities closed campuses and abruptly shifted from in-person to virtual instruction to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Several studies point to negative impacts of these disruptions on students, including reduced academic performance and learning loss,[1] decreased opportunities to participate in high-impact practices,[2] greater financial hardships, and basic…
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Research Report
August 20, 2025
Why Data and Why Now?
The Importance and Challenges of Data for Higher Education in Prison
Alex Monday, Bethany Lewis, Sindy Lopez, Tommaso Bardelli, Elizabeth Davidson Pisacreta, Jessica Pokharel, Ess Pokornowski
Nearly 400 higher education in prison programs now operate across the US, yet basic data about these students at scale—such as enrollment, retention, and completion—is often inaccessible or inconsistent. As these programs expand, strengthening data infrastructure has become both a practical necessity and a moral imperative.
Research Report
August 14, 2025
University Open Source Program Offices
Introduction Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) are dedicated units that coordinate and nurture open source software adoption across the organization. In the past two decades, as companies recognized that open source software “was not just a viable option but a critical path for technology innovation,” OSPOs became relatively common in large corporations, especially in the tech sector.[1] OSPOs are often initially focused on corporate compliance with the terms of open source software the company licensed, but…
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Research Report
August 13, 2025
The Current State of Academic E-Book Business Models
Access Strategies and Budgeting Realities
This study examines academic monograph publishing in the humanities and social sciences across the United States and Europe to understand how current business models are functioning for their consumer base, namely libraries and authors. Through interviews with librarians, content aggregators, publishers, and authors, we gathered information on a variety of business models (including hybrid, digital, and print models, and those driven by open access imperatives), the needs of academic libraries, and the priorities of authors.
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Case Study
July 24, 2025
Public and Academic Libraries in Partnership
Advancing Digital Literacy in Illinois
Introduction Community college libraries and public libraries play a vital role in bridging the digital divide by providing equitable access to technology, internet connectivity, and digital literacy across the United States.[1] Community college libraries support students’ academic success by providing access to specialized software, online research tools, and technical instruction, while public libraries extend this support to the broader community by offering digital literacy workshops, lending devices, and providing multilingual technology support. However, these two library types…
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