College Completion

Lessons from City Colleges of Chicago and One Million Degrees

In December 2022, Congress passed the final bipartisan omnibus bill that included an agreement to increase the Postsecondary Success Grants (PSSG) program funding from $5 million to $45 million for the Fiscal Year 2023.

2022 has been an extraordinary year for higher education, delivering substantial progress on many of our longstanding policy priorities. This year brought much-needed but long-delayed relief to millions of students and borrowers. It also brought progress toward delivering more fully on the promise of an affordable, equitable college system that is free from fraud and abuse.

Earning a high-quality degree generates upward mobility for college graduates, but this benefit eludes millions of students unable to complete their college education. The challenge of college completion is an old topic that requires new and targeted solutions. New reports indicate the national six-year college completion rate remains stagnant at 62 percent...

Across the country, students from underserved communities have faced disproportionate challenges to
enrolling in and remaining in college during the pandemic. College enrollment fell by five percent during
the pandemic – nearly one million students – the largest decline in the last 50 years.

Today, the Michigan State Board of Education met to discuss Michigan’s progress towards achieving the ambitious goal of 60% of adults having a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030. Governor Whitmer joined a national movement of 45 other states across the country when she announced the state’s college “Sixty by 30” attainment goal in 2019.