The Pell Institute

Equity Indicators

The “Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States” report provides an in-depth analysis of the state of equity in higher education, focusing on access, persistence, and completion rates for various demographic groups.

In-Person

The Pell Institute Release of 2024 Equity Indicators Report is Coming Soon!

Join the Pell Institute for an in-person presentation and panel discussion Thursday, May 9 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET at the Washington Marriott Georgetown featuring experts on equity within post-secondary education who will discuss themes emerging from the 2024 Equity Indicators report. The pressing theme for this year’s report is: “The Paradox of U.S. Higher Education: Confronting Realities, Exploring Solutions.” RSVP at the link below by Friday, May 3.  

Location:
Washington Marriott Georgetown
Room: Metropolitan Galleries 1-2
1221 22nd St NW
Washington, DC 20037

Register here

Virtual

The Pell Institute Release of 2024 Equity Indicators Report is Coming Soon!

The Institute will host a webinar on Monday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET, highlighting data from the 2024 Equity Indicators report, such as enrollment declines, student debt, trends in TRIO funding and participants, and more! See webinar details below. 

Register here

2022

Indicators Of Higher Education Equity In The United States: 2022 Historical Trend Report

This 2022 edition is the 8th in the current series, begun in 2015. This publication brings together again in partnership the Pell Institute with the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD). Both organizations have a core mission to promote a more open, equitable, and democratic system of higher education. The Pell Institute, with its historical and ongoing ties to the federal TRIO programs, has a special mission to promote more opportunity for low-income and first-generation students, and students with disabilities.

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Presentations

Reducing Equity Gaps in Educational Attainment in and among the United States

The fifty states are diverse in geography, history, culture, and demographics. Each state has unique features contributing to the diversity of the United States. Education is a fundamental human right, and discussing ways to reduce equity gaps ensures that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed regardless of their socioeconomic background. Addressing the critical questions and using data from the most recent Equity Indicators Historical Trend Report, two state legislators discuss how reducing equity gaps in educational attainment can help close achievement gaps, boost economic growth, foster a more inclusive society, and improve the quality of life in their states.

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IN THE NEWS

Equity Indicators report coverage explores the intersecting factors of race/ethnicity and family income to understand how they contribute to educational disparities.

Student Debt Gap Still Growing

Inside Higher Ed

Braxton Brewington addresses the racial disparities of student loan debt among Black Americans

MSNBC

Student Loan Equity Gap Continues to Grow, Report Finds

Insight Into Diversity

Margaret Cahalan

The Right to Higher Education: Key Challenges in the U.S. Context and Suggested Principles in a Global Context

This briefing paper was written for the recently launched UNESCO project on the Right to Higher Education (RTHE). The UNESCO project asked for a short paper addressing two topics: 1) Identification of the major legal, geographic, normative, societal challenges to the right to higher education (HE) within the U.S. context; and 2) Suggested guiding principles on how to uphold and advance the right to higher education that build on existing standards and are adaptable to various global contexts.

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About

Report History, Our Purpose, & Shared Dialogues

The Equity Indicators project is an annual research project that began in 2015. Today’s annual report is the 8th in the series covering 2022. The project brings together again in partnership with The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education of the Council for Opportunity in Education with the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD). Both organizations’ core mission is to promote a more open, equitable, and democratic higher education system. The Pell Institute, with its historical and ongoing ties to the Federal TRIO programs, has a special mission to promote more equitable opportunities for low-income and first-generation students and students with disabilities. These reports draw from multiple sources of existing data to provide, in one place, indicators that describe trends in equity in postsecondary enrollment, choice, and degree attainment, as well as indicators of college affordability.

The purposes of the Equity Indicators project are threefold:

  • To report the historical trends of higher education equity in the United States so we may track our progress
  • To identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress, and
  • To illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs, and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes.
Additional Information

The first Indicators report in 2015 focused primarily on equity in higher education based on measures of family income. Recognizing the need to also address inequity based on other interrelated demographic characteristics, reports since 2016 include selected indicators that highlight differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In these reports, SES is an index of family income, parents’ education, and parents’ occupation developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

The 2018 Indicators report added data describing higher education equity by U.S. state. The 2019 to 2022 Indicators reports continue the inclusion of state data. Considering equity indicators by the state is essential given the many differences across the 50 states in historical, demographic, economic, and political characteristics and the features of their K-12 and higher education systems.

In the 2020 and 2022 Indicators report, we add disaggregation by dependency status (dependent, independent without dependents, and independent with dependents) where data are available. The 2021 Indicators report, for the first time, includes historical data on the Federal TRIO programs. We continue to update this information in the 2022 report. It contains data for each program on numbers served, percent of eligible students served, funding levels, and characteristics of students served. Data presented also include the results of the most recent evaluations on college entrance and completion.

This report presents data as far back as comparable data warrant, often beginning with 1970. The Methodological Appendix provides additional notes, tables, and figures that help understand the trend data in the body of the report. Throughout the information, we include methodological notes concerning the qualifications and limitations of the data over time.

In addition to providing longitudinal equity indicators, the Indicators project advances conversations about effective policies and practices for improving equity in higher education opportunities and outcomes. To this end, the Indicators reports periodically include essays intended to connect the indicators to current policy debates. Reflecting the UNESCO Right to Higher Education (RTHE) theme, the 2022 Indicators report contains a brief essay entitled: The Right to Higher Education: Key Challenges in the U.S. Context and Suggested Principles in a Global Context. In 2018, the Indicators project launched the Improving Equity in Higher Education Search for Solutions Blog hosted by PennAHEAD to advance the discussion of creating meaningful improvements in higher education equity.

Cahalan, Margaret W., Addison, Marisha, Brunt, Nicole, Patel, Pooja R., Vaughan III, Terry, Genao, Alysia & Perna, Laura W. (2022). Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2022 Historical Trend Report. Washington, DC: The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), and Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD)

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The Pell Institute is the first research institute to specifically examine the issues affecting educational opportunity for low-income, first-generation, and disabled college students. Learn more about the Pell Institute, including our mission, purpose, goals, and history.

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Publications

Discover cutting-edge research findings and participate in engaging discussions on topics ranging from access and affordability to student success and retention.