Public Research Universities Increase Low-Income Graduates by Nearly 25 Percent

October 11, 2017

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Title: Public Research Universities Increase Low-Income Graduates by Nearly 25 Percent, Highlighting Impact of Collaboration at Scale

Author: University Innovation Alliance

Date: Sept. 25, 2017

Three years ago, the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), which includes 11 universities across United States, set a goal to graduate an additional 68,000 undergraduates by 2025, with at least half of those students coming from low-income families.

The alliance recently reported that since 2014, the total number of undergraduate degrees awarded by UIA members has increased by 9.2 percent from 79,170 to 86,436, and the number of low-income graduates has increased by 24.7 percent. Alliance members are expected to exceed their attainment goals, with an additional 94,000 graduates by 2025. UIA recently announced its fourth scaling project to provide students at member universities with completion grants to help ensure that potential graduates aren’t derailed by financial challenges.

In an article on the results, Inside Higher Ed wrote that the universities focused on different aspects to fulfill the goal. For example, the University of California, Riverside concentrated on completion and degree-attainment, while other universities—like Ohio State—focused more on data analytics, advising, career services for students and emergency aid.

To read the full article on the UIA website, please click here.

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Topics:

graduation & completion policy & research

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