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.
Something strange is happening in America: confidence in higher education is creeping back up. This trend is not limited to the usual suspects. We’re seeing a thaw across the board—Republicans, independents, individuals with and without degrees, and Black and Hispanic communities.
We can celebrate some of this positive news, but mistaking it for a full recovery will hold higher education and the country back. The path forward is about earning trust in real, relevant, and radically new ways that create true value, writes Lumina Foundation's Courtney Brown in this commentary on the latest Lumina-Gallup survey.
Since President Donald Trump took office, he’s sought to downsize the federal government, targeting agencies big and small for closure or deep cuts. The National Endowment for the Humanities, AmeriCorps, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services are among the agencies under threat, all of which provide crucial funding and support to higher education institutions.
Since then, numerous higher education associations and nonprofit groups have resisted Trump's proposed cuts. But while the advocacy groups are winning some relief via the courts, many still worry that the damage is done, even if the agencies remain standing.
Shae-Marie Stafford-Trujillo has tried to do everything right on her path to becoming a doctor. She’s worked in research labs. She’s gotten good grades. She enrolled in a program at Baylor College of Medicine to boost her medical school applications.
But Stafford-Trujillo now has to rethink how to pay for those additional years of education. The sweeping tax and spending package that President Donald Trump recently signed into law will soon eliminate Grad PLUS, a federal program that allowed students to take out virtually unlimited loans to pay for graduate school.
A new national photo library launched by Complete College America aims to shift the visual narrative around college students, moving beyond the traditional images of young, residential students to reflect the diverse reality of today's higher education landscape.
Renowned photojournalist Allison Shelley traveled to various college campuses to capture authentic students and scenes during multi-day photo shoots. The resulting collection showcases students in real college and workforce settings, emphasizing the complex realities of balancing education with jobs, family responsibilities, and other life commitments.
As thousands of students return to college campuses this fall, they will find themselves stepping into an environment reshaped by political and ideological mandates. Across the country, state legislators have been racing to exert new influence over free expression in higher education.
Now, Texas has surged to the forefront, closing its 2025 legislative session by passing two laws that will silence dissent and undermine faculty authority.
Many colleges and universities respond to new challenges by layering on additional services, departments, or platforms. While well-intentioned, this approach often creates operational sprawl, produces confusion for students, and increases costs.
In this interview, student experience strategist Elliot Felix explains how building a connected college—where strategy, services, and systems work together—can improve student outcomes without increasing institutional complexity or cost.
