Topic: Student outcomes
Blog Post
March 5, 2026
Assessing Comprehensive Support for First-Generation Student Success
New Findings and a Dashboard from the Kessler Scholars Program Evaluation
First-generation college students bring remarkable determination and resilience to their pursuit of higher education. Yet they continue to face significant barriers to degree completion, including fewer financial resources, less academic preparation, and less information and guidance about how to navigate the higher education system. A growing evidence base suggests that comprehensive, cohort-based support programs that address these multifaceted barriers can meaningfully improve outcomes for these students. Today, we published a new issue brief and a…
Issue Brief
March 5, 2026
How First-Generation Students Engage with Comprehensive Support
Lessons from an Evaluation of the Kessler Scholars Program
First-generation college students—those whose parents did not earn bachelor’s degrees—demonstrate remarkable resilience in pursuing higher education, yet they face greater obstacles to degree completion than their continuing-generation peers. These challenges include fewer financial resources to pay for education and living expenses, lower levels of academic preparation, and limited guidance to help them navigate the complex environment of higher education.[1] As a result, first-generation students are less likely than their continuing-generation peers to persist from year to year, graduate within six…
Blog Post
March 2, 2026
The Benefits of Institutional Debt Relief for Adult Learners
Three Years of Evidence from Northeast Ohio
For the 37 million adults in the US who have completed some college but do not have a degree or credential (SCNC), financial costs are one of the biggest barriers to returning. Institutional debt—unpaid balances that a student owes to their college or university after stopping out—is a specific challenge that many students with SCNC face. The Ohio College Comeback Compact took an innovative approach to re-enrollment by canceling up to $5,000 in institutional debt as students re-enrolled and made…
Upcoming Event
April 8, 2026
The Challenges Facing Higher Education
Economics and Finances
Colleges and universities are facing challenging finances at the moment, both as a result of longer run trends as well as the current administration’s policies. In a lecture on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, explanations and possible responses will both be explored. Ithaka S+R’s Catharine Bond Hill will discuss the impact of the overall economy on colleges and universities. This will include the impact of rising income inequality over the last forty years on colleges and universities, as well as…
Upcoming Event
March 10, 2026
Multi-Campus Model for First-Gen College Student Success
First-generation college students make up more than half of US undergraduates but too often encounter institutional systems not built for their success. The 16-institution Kessler Scholars Collaborative is reshaping first-gen support through a cohort-based model that fosters belonging, growth, and academic success. At SXSW EDU 2026, this panel will share how the Collaborative’s multi-campus partnership model drives institutional change and continuous improvement through robust evaluation while also fostering student engagement across campus boundaries to expand students’ sense of possibility…
Blog Post
February 19, 2026
Practical Ways to Strengthen Communication and Casemaking Around Holistic Credit Mobility
Increasing numbers of postsecondary students pursue non-traditional paths through higher education and accumulate credit from multiple institutions and sources. Expanding access and opportunity for such learners demands rethinking common conceptions about learning structures and developing strategies for implementing reform. Holistic credit mobility is a conceptual framework that places learning at the center of such efforts in order to serve both students and institutions. During virtual convenings in October and December, the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort discussed and planned…
Blog Post
February 18, 2026
What Postsecondary Employment Outcomes Data Can Teach States About Workforce Alignment and Public Value
Many states looking to invest in higher education to strengthen workforce pipelines and expand economic mobility lack the data needed to target those investments effectively. The Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset helps close that gap by linking postsecondary education to wage and employment data, illuminating how educational pathways connect to workforce outcomes both within and beyond state borders. With support from the PSEO Coalition, Ithaka S+R used PSEO data from South Carolina to explore three key questions, each of which…
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.
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.
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.
Blog Post
February 12, 2026
Accreditation, Outcomes, and Accountability
What We Learned from a Multi-Year Research Project
Ithaka S+R is publishing four reports, funded by Arnold Ventures, that examine the extent to which accreditor standards and interventions influence institutional performance, particularly as reflected in students’ outcomes. These reports provide concrete examples of how accreditors articulate expectations in their written standards, use data in monitoring institutions, communicate performance concerns through Commission Action Letters, and understand their responsibilities in the federal recognition process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Past Event
March 5, 2026
Faculty and the Transfer Process
The Critical Role of Faculty in Boosting Credit Acceptance and Learner Mobility
Join us for the next session of the Transfer Explorer Learning Network, focusing on the critical role faculty play in advancing learner mobility, as well as common perceptions of their role. We will also touch on how faculty are engaging with credit mobility tools (including but not limited to Transfer Explorer) and how they can be key stakeholders in adopting and promoting these tools on their campuses. Lexa Logue, professor emerita at the City University…
Past Event
February 18, 2026
Focus on Re-Enrollment
Making the Case and Laying the Groundwork
As interest in re-enrolling stopped-out students grows, many colleges and universities face a core challenge: building institutional buy-in for a re-enrollment initiative while ensuring the institution itself is student-ready. An editorial webcast hosted by Inside Higher Ed and InsideTrack will explore the return on investment of re-enrollment—for learners, institutions and communities—and why proving clear ROI is crucial to making the case for an enrollment initiative, including to executive leadership. Expert panelists…
Past Event
February 10, 2026
Understanding Postsecondary Students’ Perspectives on Basic Needs Insecurity
Information Session
Join us in this information session on February 10 at 2pm ET to learn about a new Ithaka S+R research initiative to develop a student-informed understanding of basic needs insecurity and improve institutional communication, support, and access to public benefits. This session will share information on the project goals, participation expectations, timeline, and Request for Proposals process, with time for questions. With support from ECMC Foundation, the project will engage a cohort of 10–15 colleges and universities, including…
Blog Post
February 2, 2026
Call for Institutions to Participate in a New Study on Students’ Basic Needs
Ithaka S+R is excited to issue a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for Understanding Postsecondary Students’ Perspectives on Basic Needs Insecurity. This multi-year research initiative funded by ECMC Foundation will focus on better understanding how students define and experience basic needs insecurity and how institutions can more effectively align services, outreach, and communication with those perspectives.
Past Event
March 5, 2026
Transfer Explorer Learning Network
How can faculty support students through the transfer process? How can faculty be partners in credit mobility? Join us on March 5 at 3pm ET for the Transfer Explorer Learning Network—a new series of virtual convenings to connect the Transfer Explorer community and share research, practice, and strategies to promote successful transfer outcomes. In this upcoming session, the Ithaka S+R team will share practical ways faculty can support student success and transfer, and…