Open-access colleges are an important pathway to economic mobility for millions of Americans. But graduation rates at these colleges are low--for example, only 36 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen at community colleges graduate within three years. Over the last two decades, MDRC and others have conducted research to build the evidence base…

Community colleges and broad-access universities (those with minimally selective admissions policies) provide an opportunity for students across the United States to attain postsecondary degrees and economic mobility. However, graduation rates from such colleges are often low and there are many obstacles that can be difficult to overcome,…

This white paper, examines state policies to improve affordability, encourage full-time enrollment, and incent timely completion of postsecondary credentials and degrees. The authors found that existing grant aid programs do not provide sufficient support to allow students with documented need to cover tuition costs and living expenses, nor do…

This article outlines a framework for evaluating the decision of undergraduate students to engage in term-time employment as a method of financing higher education. We then examine the impact of work on academic achievement and find that employment has modest negative effects on student grades, with a grade point average (GPA) falling by 0.007…

This Statistics in Brief describes the undergraduate experiences of students who immigrated to the United States or who had at least one immigrant parent (second-generation Americans). The analysis compares these two groups with all undergraduates (excluding foreign students) and with third-or higher generation American undergraduates whose…

For years administrators at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, in Richmond, Virginia, had a hunch that students were not taking full advantage of the college's advising services. Still, they were disappointed two years ago, when the Community College Survey of Student Engagement revealed that their students rarely used career services and…

In the years since student loans first became available in 1958, borrowing has become a common way for students to pay for education after high school. As student borrowing has risen over time, some have raised concerns about the debt burden facing some borrowers once they complete their post-secondary education. In an effort to learn more about…

This report presents data on Minnesota's fall 2001 enrollment at public and private postsecondary education institutions. Following an introduction and a glossary, the report has four sections. The first part contains 5-year enrollment summaries for each institution. These summaries include total headcount, full-time and part-time enrollment, male…

The Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board annually publishes a report of enrollments in Minnesota post-secondary education. The enrollment data presented here were provided by Minnesota public and private postsecondary education institutions in fall 1987. The 1987 enrollments are compared to the preceding four years. This annual report,…

This report presents data tables on fall 2000 enrollment at Minnesota's public and private postsecondary education institutions. An introduction and glossary precede the body of the report, which has four parts: (1) 5-year summaries for each postsecondary institution, including total enrollment, male and female enrollments, new entering student…

This report presents data tables on fall 1999 enrollment at Minnesota's public and private postsecondary education institutions. An introduction and glossary precede the body of the report, which has four parts: (1) five-year summaries for each postsecondary institutions, including total enrollment, male and female enrollments, new entering…

This report presents data tables on fall 1998 enrollment at Minnesota's public and private postsecondary education institutions. An introduction and glossary precede the main body of the report, which has four parts: (1) five-year summaries for each institution, including total enrolment, full- and part-time enrollments, male and female…