Author: Laurie Arnston

A Comprehensive Approach to College Mental Health is a Campus-wide Approach

The Jed Foundation has released a report on a decadelong study investigating patterns of student mental health improvements when campuses participated in the JED Campus program. JED Campus is designed to guide schools through a collaborative process of developing comprehensive systems, programs, policies, and customized supports to build upon existing student mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts.

Mental Health Supports Are Key in in Community College Student Success

The Annenberg Institute launched a descriptive study to examine the relationship between academic success and students’ time utilization, campus engagement, financial and mental well-being. The study focuses on community college students and finds that a nationwide increase in adverse mental health among college students intersects with high rates of food and housing insecurity.

Rethinking First-Generation Status

The Common App’s third research brief in its series on first-generation status explores the complexities of detailed parental education levels and their implications for applicants’ college readiness, socioeconomic status, and application behaviors. The report highlights the limitations of focusing on the binary classification of first-generation and continuing-generation status and argues for more granular examination of parental degree attainment.

Unpacking the FAFSA Simplification Act’s Impact on Federal and State Aid Eligibility

The last two decades in higher education policy have seen a push for a more streamlined and less time-consuming version of the FAFSA, which culminated in the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association has published a report unpacking many of the changes to FAFSA and how they will impact students pursuing postsecondary education.

Underemployment and Its Long-Term Effects for College Graduates

While higher education is often seen as a key to social mobility and economic opportunity, translating a college degree into a successful career is not automatic. A new report from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute finds that many students struggle with this transition, with only about half of graduates with a bachelor’s degree securing employment in a college-level job within one year of graduating.

The Prevalence of Legacy Preference in College Admissions

recent Brookings Institution report, using data from the 2021-22 academic year, provides valuable insights into the prevalence of legacy admissions at U.S. institutions and the intersection of these policies with race-in-admissions policies.

Rural America’s Resilient Workforce

Disparities in educational attainment and job opportunities persist between rural and urban areas, with traditional rural industries in decline but certain blue-collar sectors still thriving. A new report highlights that rural regions offer viable job opportunities meeting defined income thresholds, emphasizing the need for ongoing education and training efforts for sustained economic prosperity.

The Number of Credits Counts: Understanding the Path to Degree Completion

To understand the relationship between students’ academic degree progress, retention, and completion, Ad Astra analyzed the academic journeys of 1.3 million students across two-year public, four-year public, and four-year private institutions. Its 2024 Benchmark Report identifies a correlation between the number of credits a student completes in a year and their likelihood of persisting and completing a degree.

Trends in Higher Education and Results-Driven Recommendations

Drawing from extensive research and experience collaborating with hundreds of higher education institutions, Hanover Research’s 2024 Trends in Higher Education report outlines critical trends and practical solutions to guide college and university leadership in facing current challenges in higher education.