College rankings don’t fully capture institutions that serve post-traditional students

Some metrics don’t adequately track certain students, including those attending part time or who start college in months other than the traditional fall semester. 

By Becky Takeda-Tinker • April 23, 2025

Beyond mass emails: How to encourage student feedback

Leaders from two community colleges shared how they're soliciting student input to improve institutional planning.

By Laura Spitalniak • April 22, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Student Engagement

Colleges focus on retention with a variety of steps designed to keep students committed to staying in school and completing their education.

By Higher Ed Dive staff

College grads say they are confident about jobs but cautious about economy

Employers that offer flexibility, purpose and growth will attract and retain the next generation of top talent, a CareerBuilder + Monster executive said.

By Carolyn Crist • April 21, 2025

How an early alert system raised one college’s FAFSA completion

Letting students know about missing documents makes all the difference, Holyoke Community College officials explained.

By Laura Spitalniak • April 17, 2025

How one community college helps adult students get prior learning credit

Colleges can improve nontraditional students' access to these credits, leaders said at the American Association of Community Colleges’ conference.

By Laura Spitalniak • April 16, 2025

4 ways community colleges can boost workforce development

Higher education leaders at this week’s ASU+GSV Summit gave advice for how two-year institutions can boost the economic mobility of their students.

By Natalie Schwartz • April 11, 2025

More colleges are creating homeless liaison roles. Here’s why.

The workers act as a point person for students experiencing homelessness, helping with everything from applying for financial aid to finding housing. 

By Danielle McLean • April 3, 2025

University of Michigan scraps multimillion dollar DEI investment

The move shuttered the public flagship’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Office for Health Equity and Inclusion, effective immediately.

By Laura Spitalniak • March 28, 2025

‘Moving in the right direction’: The push by wealthy institutions to enroll more low-income students

Pell Grant recipients at colleges with the largest endowments increased nearly 5 percentage points since 2007, per a recent Brookings Institution analysis.

By Lilah Burke • March 28, 2025

Education Department reopens IDR student loan plan applications

The American Federation of Teachers sued the agency this month for blocking access to the congressionally mandated repayment options.

By Ben Unglesbee • March 27, 2025

What types of colleges offer the best ROI?

The financial value of 4,600 colleges has been updated in a database from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

By Lilah Burke • March 25, 2025

High school students with autism gain college mentors in NYC program

The Making Mentors program empowers college students with autism to provide representation for and build community with high school mentees.

By Briana Mendez-Padilla • March 24, 2025

Gender gaps in certain STEM majors are widening — but not everywhere

Growing divides in physics and other fields at less selective colleges may be troubling for institutions hoping to graduate students into high-paying careers. 

By Lilah Burke • March 19, 2025

‘SEND HELP!’: 59% of students face insecurities around needs like food and housing

Among students who stopped-out or are in danger of doing so, 79% cited basic needs insecurities and financial challenges, the Hope Center found.

By Laura Spitalniak • March 11, 2025

Engaging families: A key to boosting college student retention

Recent data underscores that when parents are actively engaged, students are more likely to persist through their academic journey.

March 10, 2025

Diversifying college admissions: Why test-optional is not as effective as we hoped

Data suggests test-blind policies remove higher education barriers for underrepresented students. 

March 10, 2025

Transfer enrollment ticked up 4.4% in the fall, report finds

Previously stopped-out students starting at new institutions made up a majority of transfers, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found.

By Ben Unglesbee • March 5, 2025

Lumina sets new postsecondary attainment goal with focus on college ROI

The influential nonprofit wants 75% of U.S. adults to have a postsecondary degree or credential that leads to “economic prosperity” by 2040.

By Laura Spitalniak • March 4, 2025

AFT sues Education Department over anti-DEI guidance

The union alleged that the agency's recent guidance barring colleges from considering race in any of their programs and policies is unconstitutional.

By Laura Spitalniak • Feb. 26, 2025

Why the University of Texas System is offering microcredentials to students — for free

The public network is providing access to Coursera’s Career Academy, which includes professional certificates from companies like Microsoft and Google. 

By Lilah Burke • Feb. 26, 2025

Court declines to block DOGE from accessing Education Department data

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, an Obama appointee, said the student group failed to show it faced “irreparable harm” without emergency relief. 

By Natalie Schwartz • Feb. 18, 2025

Best Buy launches free degrees for full- and part-time workers

The consumer electronics retailer said it will provide immediate access to the program on an employee’s first day of employment.

By Carolyn Crist • Feb. 18, 2025

Want to measure how much college graduates make? Timing matters.

Associate and bachelor’s degree holders have similar earnings right after graduation, but the differences widen over time, research finds. 

By Lilah Burke • Feb. 18, 2025

The latest roundup of DEI cuts across the country

From liberal arts colleges to massive public flagships, institutions of all kinds are moving to comply with changing federal expectations.

By Laura Spitalniak • Feb. 12, 2025

DOGE temporarily blocked from accessing Education Department student aid data

In a lawsuit, the University of California Student Association alleged that the “scale of intrusion into individuals’ privacy is enormous and unprecedented.”

By Natalie Schwartz • Updated Feb. 24, 2025