Five years ago Kentucky announced a goal to reach a 60% post secondary credential rate by 2030. In the five years since this announcement, real substantial change has occurred. Not only has the overall rate of undergraduate and overall post secondary enrollment gone up, but it has gone up rapidly. In 2023 the attainment rate was at 55%, a 4.8% increase from five years ago.
Even more remarkably, the credentials and degrees awarded to underrepresented minority groups has gone up 34%. These changes are a result of Kentucky’s new partnerships with organizations like The Kentucky Student Success Collaborative. The KYSSC has raised over $4 million in grants and investments for Kentucky higher education.
The KYSSC was created after a donation from the James Graham Brown Student Foundation. It’s the first of its kind and has pioneered several new efforts across the state of Kentucky. These efforts consist of trying to improve transfer pathways, gateway course success, and access to basic needs. Over time this has caused the effects described earlier.
Overall are more people entering post secondary education? Not exactly. The more significant change in Kentucky has come from more people finishing their education. And this is a great change. Those who don’t deem a college education as worth it don’t have to enroll. Meanwhile those who do are more likely to graduate.
Infographic: https://cpe.ky.gov/ourwork/value-infographic.html