College Access and Success

A new book by University of Washington College of Education faculty member Jennifer Hoffman, “College Sports and Institutional Values in Competition,” delves into the intersection of athletics and higher education, exploring how college athletics departments reflect many characteristics of their institutions and are susceptible to many of the same challenges in delivering on their mission.

Walking into Mary Gates Hall (MGH) — home to First Year Programs, Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) Advising, the University Honors Program and the Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity — University of Washington students might come across a group tutoring session or the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

While more students of all backgrounds are aspiring to and enrolling in college, completion rates have remained stagnant, with approximately 40 percent of students who enter 4-year colleges never completing their degrees.

As a teacher at a high-poverty high school in Brooklyn, Julia Duncheon all-too-often saw her school’s top students go on to college yet encounter roadblocks that kept them from completing their degrees.

University of Washington faculty member Thomas Halverson discussed the need to create alternative career pathways for students beyond "college prep" during a recent YouTube Live chat.

Far too often, high-achieving underrepresented students graduate from high school and end up attending colleges that don’t offer learning opportunities commensurate with their academic profiles and potential.

This phenomenon, known as “undermatch,” results in more high-achieving minority students attending institutions with lower completion rates and can reduce these underrepresented students’ opportunities to realize their dreams and close persistent wealth gaps between different populations. 

The state of Washington is attacking the college affordability issue on multiple fronts and making progress in preparing more of its own residents to obtain higher-paying jobs, contends Professor William Zumeta of the University of Washington College of Education in a new commentary piece published by The Conversation.

In high schools across the United States, an almost singular focus on preparing students for traditional 4-year college degree programs fails to serve the majority of students argues University of Washington faculty member Thomas Halverson.

On July 30, Halverson will discuss how school systems can better support the diversity of students’ skills, interests and passions during a live chat starting at 11:30 a.m. Pacific on the College's YouTube Live channel.

In a phenomena known as “summer melt,” many high school graduates plan to pursue higher education, but something derails them over the summer.

“They get confused, they don’t know how to fill something out, and then they don’t show up to their first day, and don’t show up for the rest of the year,” Natalia Esquivel - Silva (BA '18) explained.

It’s a chain of events that throws off the plans of many young people, with lifelong consequences.