The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) annually produces a report examining degree and credential production in Kentucky in the previous academic year (July 1 through June 30) and over time. Using data from the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System (KPEDS), the report details the number and types of credentials earned at…

Two-year public colleges educate more than 50% of all U.S. undergraduates, yet graduation rates (29%) fall far below their 4-year counterparts (63%). It is critical for students of 2-year public institutions that their faculty have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to effectively guide students toward graduation. This study…

Funding for public higher education has been cut in Kentucky in the decade starting 2008 (Spalding, 2019). Due to several contributing factors, including entitlement programs, healthcare costs, the great recession, and other competing demands at the state level, this is a nationwide trend and is not predicted to reverse any time soon. This funding…

Gateway courses are foundational, college-level courses that apply to a student's program of study or to a college's general education requirements. These courses are typically considered first-year or lower-division courses and serve as a basis for more advanced studies. Research has demonstrated that completing gateway courses in two key…

With over 37 million residents, California is the most populous state in the country. California's primary and secondary schools enroll over 6.2 million students,1 and there are 3.4 million undergraduates attending 683 postsecondary institutions in California. Yet, because of the lack of a strong data infrastructure, we are unable to answer basic…

This study explored perceptions of African American college students concerning barriers to enrolling in higher education institutions, focusing on a public comprehensive regional university in Kentucky, using interviews and focus groups. The focus of the research pertained to ACT testing requirements, home and school support systems, and the role…

This report tracks 42,856 students who graduated from a Kentucky high school in 2010 until 2018, the most recent year of data available. Over half of these students entered an in-state college or university directly from high school. Another 5,000 had enrolled in college by 2018. All in all, 13,576 (32%) completed a postsecondary credential, and…

The Completion Report describes the state of postsecondary education degree and credential attainment in Kentucky between Academic Years (AY) 2004-05 and 2013-14. Part One details the number and types of degrees produced during this time and pays attention to trends among key demographics in the state. Part Two provides context for these trends by…

This report describes the state of Kentucky's postsecondary education degree and credential attainment between Academic Years (AY) 2013-14 and 2017-18. Using data from the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System (KPEDS), the report details the number and types of credentials earned at Kentucky's public universities, the campuses of the…

As college costs continue to rise, student loan default and repayment are issues of increasing concern to students and families, colleges and universities, and state and federal governments. Helping students borrow responsibly and manage their debt are vitally important to maintaining college access and affordability and increasing the education…

Research shows that the more courses students take and complete, especially early in their postsecondary programs, the more likely they are to graduate. In particular, students who take 15 credits per semester or 30 credits a year have a higher likelihood to complete associate and baccalaureate degrees than students enrolling in fewer hours, even…

In this paper we estimate the impacts of the "pathways" chosen by community college students--in terms of desired credentials and fields of study, as well as other choices and outcomes along the paths--on the attainment of credentials with labor market value. We focus on the extent to which there are recorded changes in students' choices…

Data from all 2010-2011 undergraduate students, who received a Pell Grant disbursement at Kentucky's two-year and four-year public institutions, were used to simulate the eligibility changes to the Pell Grant program in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 and from the termination of year-round Pell. Specifically, these changes: a) the…

Kentucky is using dual enrollment as one strategy to improve access to postsecondary education for its high school students, particularly after passage of Kentucky Senate Bill 1 in 2009, which focused on improving college and career readiness. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia undertook a descriptive study of participation in…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. The Legislative Reports follow education and budget issues from governors' proposals through final legislative actions in each of the 16 SREB states. The reports include bill numbers and legislative Web site…