Helping Americans Complete College
The U.S. once led the world in the percentage of young adults with college degrees. But other nations have improved while our rates have stood still, and so, today, we rank tenth. Only about half of the young adults who start college graduate, which means that our current college-going generation may become the first to be less educated than their parents. This falls far short of what is needed for America’s economic competiveness and can have a severe impact on students’ lives: Those with college-level skills are more likely to be employed and will earn more than those who never went to college. For America and states to compete in the global economy, six out of every 10 adults between the ages of 25 and 35 will, by 2020, need to obtain an associate or bachelor’s degree, or another postsecondary credential.
Complete College America (CCA) is devoted to helping governors, state legislators, educators, and campuses administrators enable more college students to finish. It is working to build consensus for change at both the state and national level, and to ensure that new programs and policies build on the best knowledge of what works in higher education.
Mustering a New Alliance of States
To enable more Americans to fulfill their dream of a college degree, Complete College America is forging an Alliance of States committed to making college completion a priority by:
- Establishing specific college completion targets for every or each state and for each of its campuses;
- Creating and implementing ambitious action plans to meet these targets by ensuring that students arrive on campus college-ready, improving remedial programs, increasing on-time completion, develop shorter and streamlined degree programs, and providing incentives to schools and students for degree attainment;
- Measuring and reporting state and campus progress through common metrics; and
- Disaggregating data to show progress at closing attainment gaps for traditionally underserved populations.
Already 17 states have joined this alliance: Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. By joining CCA, these states will share model programs and policies, benefit from expert advice, network and support each other, and help inform their policymakers and public about the importance of college completion and what can be done to raise college graduation rates.
Building a Commitment to College Completion
In addition to funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CCA benefits from the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Lumina Foundation for Education.
Complete College America’s founder and president, Stan Jones has a 30-year track record of successful higher education reform in Indiana. CCA has staff in both in Indiana and Washington, DC, and a team of national higher-education expert consultants.
The Impact
In our increasingly complex and intertwined world, having a college degree is becoming more and more crucial to both the individual’s future and our nation’s success. A college degree opens doors to new possibilities. Research shows that, on average, those with more education tend to live healthier and longer lives.
It's imperative that states take action to help more Americans attend college, learn high-level content and skills, and obtain a degree. Complete College America is helping guide states in this effort, sharing information and encouraging their progress.