The U.S. Department of Education announced today the allocation of more than $40 million in grant awards to seven grantees aimed at improving completion rates for underserved students. The grants are provided under the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program, which seeks to enhance postsecondary student outcomes such as retention, transfer, credit accumulation, and completion by leveraging data and implementing evidence-based approaches.
“Across the country, colleges and universities are rejecting the old idea that weeding out students was a sign of quality, and instead they are taking responsibility for all of their students’ success,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. “These awards will not only help find new ways to help students graduate; they will help change expectations.”
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, only 62% of students graduate within six years, with fewer than half of Black students reaching this milestone. However, the national rate has increased by 7 percentage points over the past decade, indicating progress through new approaches.
Seven grantees have been selected to receive funding through PSSG to support evidence-based strategies that improve outcomes for underserved students. The funding is divided among three early-phase grantees and four mid-phase/expansion phase grantees based on existing research validating their effectiveness in enhancing student postsecondary education outcomes.
The Department also published the final rule for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant program. This rulemaking establishes priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for future funding competitions.
The Final Rule sets three tiers of evidence standards – Demonstrates a Rationale/Promising, Moderate, and Strong – ensuring that projects are evidence-based and designed to impact student completion rates positively. Additionally, there is a priority aligning with the Department’s recognition of college-to-career pathways' importance in student success.
Grantees must submit an independent evaluation of their project's effectiveness and target funds towards under-resourced institutions by focusing eligibility on Title III and V institutions or non-profits or states partnering with such institutions.
Furthermore, a new selection criterion measures how proposed projects use data for continuous improvement in student outcomes for underserved students.
A list of grantees is provided below:
| Grantee | Amount | State | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| California State University, Fresno Foundation | $7,959,963 | CA | Proposes an enhanced advising project impacting retention and completion. |
| Center for Collaborative Education | $8,000,000 | MA | Collaborates with five community colleges to address student success in teacher preparation programs through advisory mentoring with financial supports. |
| New York Institute of Technology | $2,763,820 | NY | Enhances existing advising infrastructure for second- and third-year underserved students aiming at increasing persistence and graduation rates. |
| Research Foundation for The Suny - Albany | $3,998,852 | NY | Provides personalized financial coaching aligned with student success infrastructure targeting diverse populations' persistence and graduation. |
| Portland State University (PSU) | $7,823,199 | OR | Facilitates transfer pathways between two feeder colleges and PSU by offering proactive guidance and removing financial barriers for transfer students. |
| Jarvis Christian University | $3,418,794 | TX | Serves under-resourced currently enrolled students ensuring reenrollment progression completion employment.|
| The University of Texas at San Antonio $7 299868TXProposes refining scaling coaching developing guided learning pathways utilizing system-level financial incentives supporting first-generation|
Total: $41
264496
