tag: Student success
Upcoming Event
November 5, 2025
Pennsylvania Adult Learner Re-Engagement Virtual Convening
Today, 37.6 million Americans under 65 have attended some college but hold no credential to show for it, due to financial, administrative, or practical obstacles. Against this backdrop, it’s crucial that higher education institutions redouble efforts to re-engage stopped out learners. Since 2022, we’ve worked across six states to streamline the path for adults on their way to a credential of value. In Pennsylvania, we’ve collaborated with the PA Department of…
Blog Post
September 11, 2025
Student Success Research Featured in Special Edition of Peabody Journal of Education
We are excited to announce the publication of a special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education, now available online and in print, featuring a series of original research articles that examine strategies for improving lower-income student success at high-graduation-rate institutions. You can read about the American Talent Initiative grant program that funded this research here, and find short summaries of the articles here. This special issue brings together a wide range of perspectives and methodologies, offering…
Blog Post
September 9, 2025
Purposeful Cross-Sector Collaboration Boosts Learning Mobility and Student Success
As the “normal” higher education experience continues to evolve, to better serve students colleges and universities must not only work closely together across systems and regions, but they must also collaborate with K-12, employer, and community partners. These essential collaborations, when effective, can result in an interconnected ecosystem of learning opportunities that seamlessly connect students to careers. At the August convening of the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort, participants discussed the opportunities and challenges of cross-sector collaboration within…
Upcoming Event
September 30, 2025
The Transfer Scorecard
What Is It and How Could It Be Used?
Transfer student success is a function of many different factors. Some student and environmental characteristics increase the probability that a community college student will successfully transfer to and graduate from a bachelor’s college, and others decrease that probability. On September 30, 2025 at 10am ET, CUNY’s Bronx Transfer Affinity Group will host a webinar to describe some of these possible characteristics and how we have been able to use them to predict the likelihood of transfer student success for particular…
Upcoming Event
November 12, 2025
Reimagining Support: How Colleges and Policymakers Can Serve Student-Parents, Transfers, and Scholars of Color
Council on Public Policy Higher Education Pre-Conference
“Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY Transfer Explorer” evaluates CUNY’s Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) as a systems-level policy tool to enhance academic momentum and credit mobility. Findings show that CUNY T-Rex use increases the number of courses applied toward degree requirements, suggesting that transparent transfer information can strengthen student pathways, reduce barriers, and advance equity in degree attainment. In a session at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)’s Council on Public Policy Higher Education…
Upcoming Event
November 12, 2025
Building Strong Systems for Adult Learner Enrollment and Retention
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Conference
This roundtable session at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference will explore the unique challenges adult learners face in higher education, including financial barriers, basic needs insecurity, and complex institutional systems. Drawing on research and case studies from Ithaka S+R’s adult learner engagement work in several states and the 2024 National College Fluency Survey, Ithaka S+R’s Liz Looker and Melissa Blankstein will discuss actionable strategies to reduce administrative barriers and improve cross-departmental communication, as well as ways…
Upcoming Event
November 14, 2025
Decoding the Path to a College Degree with Transparent and Actionable Credit Mobility Data
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Conference
Far too often students returning to higher education or moving between higher education institutions encounter significant barriers in transferring course credits and receiving recognition for prior learning. Part of this struggle is the siloed and opaque nature of information about how prior learning will be accepted and applied toward a credential upon transfer to a new institution. This session at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Conference will share insights on Transfer Explorer and CUNY Transfer Explorer, with…
Past Event
August 8, 2025
Improving Transfer Student Pathways
Coalition for College Annual Meeting & Conference
In 2024, several Coalition for College member institutions were selected for an American Talent Initiative grant aimed to fund efforts to support limited-income students. In this session, hear from three Coalition members whose projects focus on improving transfer pathways, specifically: Drexel University, for formalizing a direct admission transfer program with the Community College of Philadelphia; Stony Brook University, for implementing a dual admission program with Suffolk County Community College; and Stevens Institute of Technology for Creating the Stevens Transfer Student…
Blog Post
July 17, 2025
Reflections on the 2025 National NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education
We recently attended and presented at the annual NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education (SSHE), held on June 27-30, in Denver, Colorado. This sold out conference brought together about 1,500 student affairs professionals, administrators, researchers, and advocates united in supporting students not just academically, but holistically. Using a multi-conference format, SSHE featured three unique tracks geared towards student success: Assessment, Planning, and Data Analytics (ADPA): Addressed critical issues related to outcomes assessment and data’s role in student…
Past Event
June 30, 2025
Tracking the COVID Class
How Cohort-Based Interventions Distinguished the College Journey for First-Generation Limited-Income Students Entering Fall 2020
At the 2025 NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education on June 30 at 10:10am, Ithaka S+R’s Ifeatu Oliobi will join Gail Gibson, Kristen Glasener, and Shakima Clency of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, as well as Carlota Deseda-Coon of Syracuse University, in a session sharing how cohort-based support distinguished the experience for first-generation limited-income students through the Kessler Scholars Collaborative. Learn more about the session.
Past Event
June 29, 2025
Developing College Fluency
Strategies for Supporting Student Navigation and Success
At the NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education, Melissa Blankstein, Elmira Jangjou, and jean amaral will lead a session on college fluency, sharing insights from Ithaka S+R work. “For me the college is just so big…you get bounced back and forth…you get lost in bureaucracy.” Most of us have heard similar stories from our students as most may not know what programs and assistance are available nor how to access them, impacting their well-being and academic success.
Past Event
August 12, 2025
From Roadblocks to Roadmaps
Implementing Smart Transfer Policies and Practices Across States
On August 12, 2025, at the Higher Education Policy Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil will participate in a panel session exploring the critical intersections between state policy and higher education transfer student success, focusing on Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina. As states strive to enhance degree attainment and workforce readiness, effective transfer policies are essential for improving student outcomes, particularly for historically underrepresented and nontraditional students. This session will highlight innovative state-level policies, cross-sector collaboration, and…
Blog Post
May 13, 2025
From Chaos to Continuity
Bridging Basic Needs and Postsecondary Access for Adult Learners
Higher education is undergoing a profound transformation, with adult learners representing a growing and influential segment of the student population. Balancing employment, family responsibilities, and academic commitments, these students encounter unique challenges that significantly impact their educational trajectories. Among the most pressing barriers to success is basic needs insecurity, which encompasses food and housing instability, childcare access, physical and mental health access, transportation and technology needs, alongside financial insecurity. Despite the existence of numerous, public, state, and institutional resources…
Blog Post
May 6, 2025
College Literacy and Fluency
What We Learned From Our Latest Webinar
For many students, the hardest part of college isn’t the classes—it’s figuring out how college works. From navigating confusing admissions processes to registering for classes and understanding financial aid, higher education can often feel like a maze of unfamiliar terminology and siloed systems. The result? Too many students miss critical deadlines, misunderstand key processes, or struggle to advocate for themselves in an unfamiliar and bureaucratic environment. This challenge disproportionately affects students who are already navigating complex life circumstances: first-generation students,…
Case Study
April 15, 2025
Leveraging Existing Efforts to Enhance College Fluency
Insights from Montgomery County Community College
To further examine and develop effective strategies to foster college fluency, Ithaka S+R and BMCC have collaborated on the College Fluency Capacity Building initiative with support from IMLS. The fourth case study in this series looks at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania and explores how effective MCCC has been at connecting students to resources even in the absence of a dedicated college fluency program, while pointing to the additional impact these efforts could have if they were formalized.
Blog Post
April 14, 2025
Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort Kicks Off
Takeaways from the Community of Practice
Last month, Ithaka S+R and Complete College America officially launched the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort. Over the coming year, the 11 state higher education and university systems and institutional consortia participating will convene regularly to develop a unified language around credit mobility, identify best practices, policies, and technologies, and collaborate to move the needle on credit mobility.
Issue Brief
April 8, 2025
Advancing Student Success at High-Graduation-Rate Institutions
Insights from the American Talent Initiative Student Success Research Grant Program
The American Talent Initiative’s Student Success Research Grant Program supported research studies aimed at deepening our understanding of the institutional practices and strategies that can improve student success at high-graduation-rate institutions. The findings will offer actionable recommendations for supporting lower-income students, while raising awareness of the challenges that they—and the institutions that serve them—continue to face. These short briefs aim to equip institutional leaders with key research insights, empowering them to implement strategies that foster meaningful, lasting change.
Blog Post
February 28, 2025
Public and Academic Libraries Supporting College Readiness
How are students supposed to know where to start when applying to college? Once they arrive, how do they continue navigating complex institutional systems and advocating for themselves? For many students—especially first-generation students, English language learners, and adult learners—higher education can feel like an overwhelming maze of unfamiliar terminology, decentralized services, and bureaucratic roadblocks. Without clear guidance, students may struggle to access the support they need, impacting their ability to enroll, persist, and succeed in college. Join us for…
Blog Post
February 27, 2025
National Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort
Announcing 11 Members
In collaboration with Complete College America, we’re excited to announce the selection of 11 distinguished higher education organizations for the Holistic Credit Mobility Acceleration Cohort. This initiative aims to enhance credential completion rates by promoting flexible and equitable credit mobility pathways for postsecondary students across the country. The cohort members’ efforts will build upon the best practices of early leaders in the field, as outlined in Credit Mobility Strategies in Action, a case study research report we published…
Past Event
March 25, 2025
Supporting College Readiness
How Public and Academic Libraries Can Foster College Literacy and Fluency
How are students supposed to know where to start when applying to college? Once they arrive, how do they continue navigating complex institutional systems and advocating for themselves? For many students—especially first-generation students, English language learners, and adult learners—higher education can feel like an overwhelming maze of unfamiliar terminology, decentralized services, and bureaucratic roadblocks. Without clear guidance, students may struggle to access the support they need, impacting their ability to enroll, persist, and succeed in college. Join us for…