The American Talent Initiative (ATI) was founded in 2016 on the belief that high-graduation-rate institutions can collectively expand access for tens of thousands of high-achieving, lower-income students across the country. When lower-income students attend these institutions, we know that they are more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree, leading to stronger wages and better job prospects throughout their lives.
While gaps in access to the nation’s leading colleges pre-dated the pandemic, these disparities have only widened in the past year for lower-income students and their families. At the same time, the pandemic and economic crisis have tested the ability of higher education institutions nationwide to serve their students and expand access. As we look to move forward as a nation, ATI’s goal to increase socioeconomic diversity — by enrolling, supporting, and graduating 50,000 additional lower-income students by 2025 at our nation’s high-graduation rate institutions — is more important than ever.
Committing to Aspirational Goals
Before and during the pandemic, ATI members that have increased lower-income student enrollment have leaders that prioritize and put resources behind their commitments to expanded opportunity (read about ATI progress to date here). To address both the pre-COVID and COVID-era declines in Pell enrollment, the ATI steering committee asked all ATI presidents to reaffirm their commitment to the 50,000-by-2025 goal.
This effort is called the “Accelerating Opportunity campaign,” mobilizing members to pledge to public, aspirational goals related to increasing lower-income student enrollment:
- Members with a lower-income enrollment share below 15 percent will aim for an ambitious goal between 15 and 20 percent by 2025, or an equally ambitious increase in the number of lower-income students by 2025.
- Members with a lower-income student enrollment share between 15 and 20 percent will make measurable progress toward a 20 percent share of lower-income student enrollment or an equally ambitious increase in the number of lower-income students by 2025.
- Members with a lower-income student enrollment share above 20 percent will aim to at least maintain opportunity for lower-income students at current levels, if not expand enrollment by 2025.
- All members, regardless of lower-income share, aim to minimize equity-based graduation gaps by 2025.
Select Institutional Commitments
Having already achieved an increase in Pell share in its undergraduate student body from 13 to 18%, Yale aims to increase the total Pell share to 20% by Fall 2025, representing approximately 1,240 Pell students; a more than 70% increase in the number of Pell-eligible students enrolled in fall 2015. To make that jump, Yale has planned aggressive, innovative outreach campaigns that emphasize affordability, dedicated programs for first-generation and lower-income students led by current students from shared backgrounds, and sustaining recently expanded strategic partnerships with Questbridge and College Board.
As a part of its recommitment, the University of Michigan will seek to make continued increases in its Pell enrollment and reduce the five-point Pell graduation gap through Fall 2025. In support of these aspirational goals, Michigan will increase funds to support awareness-building for its Go Blue Guarantee, a full tuition scholarship for in-state students, and the Victors Award, which closes the financial aid gap for out-of-state students from lower-income backgrounds.
Penn is focused on making meaningful progress toward a Pell share of 20% in its undergraduate student body and closing graduation gaps among Pell students. To accelerate that progress, Penn will build out its outreach and programming for students from lower-income backgrounds, highlight its commitment to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need without loans, and continue to expand Penn First Plus, a hub for students from first-generation and lower-income backgrounds to access academic, financial, and personal support.
Wisconsin aims to build on the gains in Pell student enrollment it made during the pandemic and make continued progress toward a 20% Pell share, adding 200 Pell students for the second year in a row. To maintain that growth, Wisconsin will bolster its partnerships with community-based organizations and continue to invest in its full-need and full-tuition financial aid programs. To support students’ success once they arrive on campus, Wisconsin also plans to expand financial assistance for students enrolled in summer courses and institutional emergency funding.
Dayton has committed to an effort to increase the representation of Pell-eligible students in its first-year, first-time cohort to at least 20% by Fall 2025 and Pell-eligible students overall to 19% by that time. To realize those goals, Dayton is expanding its network of high school, community-based, community college, and veteran-based partnerships. Alongside this strategy, Dayton will continue to invest in the growth of signature initiatives like the Flyer Promise Scholars program and University of Dayton Sinclair Academy.
In addition to maintaining steady growth in its Pell enrollment, Susquehanna is committing to eliminate graduation gaps among its Pell students. To achieve this goal, Susquehanna will implement SU 2.0, a campus-wide initiative to systematically eliminate obstacles to student persistence and success. Susquehanna has also joined a new TRIO-funded program to expand the suite of resources it provides to students from lower-income backgrounds.
125 Institutions have joined the Accelerating Opportunity campaign, signing a commitment to support these goals.
as of June 30, 2021