What does the higher education attainment landscape look like in your state?
How does your state compare with other states on critical factors impacting attainment?
Policymakers seeking to improve higher education attainment in their states must consider multiple factors influencing postsecondary access, affordability, completion, and workforce alignment. The Hunt Institute has developed a comprehensive tool to track progress and impact on key higher education indicators across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Building on The Hunt Institute’s commitment to advancing equitable postsecondary opportunities, this recast provides policymakers with a current snapshot of their state’s higher education attainment landscape. It highlights critical data on enrollment trends, attainment rates, student demographics, and financial aid accessibility to inform policy decisions that support students, institutions, and economic development.
The 2025 Higher Education Attainment Recast is a lookback on previous years’ data. The Hunt Institute is actively seeking feedback from state leaders to refine the recast’s design and application. Future iterations will incorporate stakeholder input and expand to include new metrics as they become available. To support long-term progress, core indicators will continue to be tracked, enabling year-over-year comparisons and evidence-based policymaking.
State Snapshots
High-quality, affordable, and accessible postsecondary education is essential for individuals, communities, and economic growth. The Hunt Institute conducted a comprehensive analysis of key higher education attainment indicators, consolidating the most impactful data into three main categories: Access, Affordability, and Completion. A critical next step would be to incorporate and analyze current data in relation to workforce trends, emphasizing its role in supporting economic mobility and state competitiveness.
