Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
Thousands of students across the country will take part in college graduation ceremonies this month. Among those marking the milestone is 32-year-old David Delvalle. Delvalle started studying when he was in prison, where he spent almost eight years behind bars for armed assault with intent to murder. This weekend, he will graduate with his bachelor's degree in civic studies and receive the Presidential Award for Civic Life from Tufts University.
In this interview, Delvalle shares his journey from a prison classroom to the commencement stage—plus the people and programs that kept him going.
Well over 43 million Americans have invested time and money in college but left without earning a credential. That group, known as “some college, no credential,” or SCNC, continues to grow.
Many colleges are responding with outreach campaigns, task forces, and other new strategies to bring back students who have stopped out. In states like Tennessee and North Carolina, re-enrollment initiatives have already helped tens of thousands of former students return to college. But these programs remain far from standard practice. Too many re-enrollment efforts falter because institutions treat them as short-term enrollment boosts rather than as a long-term strategic priority. In reality, experts say it requires sustained institutional commitment to learners who are balancing jobs, families, and complicated histories with higher education.
A steady drumbeat of dire budgetary news has hit higher education: staff cuts, program eliminations, credit-rating downgrades, and buyout offers. One recent study found that a large number of colleges are “at risk” from a cash-flow perspective. Last fall, in a survey of hundreds of administrators who work closely on college finances, only 20 percent said their institution’s budgets were sufficient to achieve their mission.
So, how serious is the budget crunch? What can colleges do about it? And what does it mean for the future of the sector and for those who work within it? Here's what 11 experts have to say.
Being a first-generation student means that survival is not a metaphor. It is a budget. It is a schedule. It is a prayer. And still, there was a moment that Ashley Rutland almost didn’t make it.
In this essay, Rutland explains what it means to be a first-generation college goer—and why these students often must learn to advocate for themselves and navigate complex financial and professional paths. The experience typically involves working, grieving, doubting, and rebuilding, Rutland says, but the payoff—a college degree—shows what is possible.
Some state lawmakers and leaders at colleges and universities have recently tried to limit classroom discussions about what some consider contentious topics, such as gender identity and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Administrators, as well as government officials, student groups, and activists, have also often tried to ban speakers or performers from holding lectures, events, or discussions on campuses.
In the face of these trends, a growing number of institutions are working to educate students on how to lean into and engage with challenging conversations. That means finding ways to allay well-founded fears that students have about the possible repercussions of speaking their minds.
Last December, Illinois legislators passed a law designed to protect students like Zaure Bakytbekova, who is in the United States on a student visa. The law requires public colleges and universities to establish protocols for what to do if immigration agents come on campus and to provide students with certain information about how to respond.
Illinois is perhaps the only state that legally requires public colleges to have policies regarding immigration enforcement on college campuses. Immigrant rights advocates have touted the Illinois law as a model that other states could adopt. But a recent investigation found that four months after requirements for public colleges went into effect, many fell short of meeting their conditions.
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