2026 Indicators – Dashboards and Data Visualizations

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.

Setting the Stage: Why Do We Study Equity in Higher Education?

Data/Charts	Title
Figure 1	Average unmet financial need of students attending postsecondary institutions after taking into account grants and scholarships
Figure 2	Estimated Lifetime Income by Education Level
Figure 3	Percentage Accessing Welfare by Education Level
Figure 4	Percentage in Corrections by Education Level
Figure 5	Life expectancy by Education Level
Figure 6	Percentage of first-generation degree-seeking students by institutional sector
Figure 7	Percentage of first-generation degree-seeking students and the U.S. bachelor’s attainment rate for adults 25 years and older
Figure 8	Percentage of bachelor’s degree recipients for first-time beginning students attending a postsecondary institution in 2012, by low-income and first-generation student status
Figure 9	High school students with potential to be first-generation college students by race/ethnicity
Figure 10	Children under 18 with potential to be first-generation college students by race/ethnicity
Figure 11	Bachelor’s degree attainment by race/ethnicity
Figure 12	Family income quartiles by race/ethnicity

Indicator 1: Who Enrolls in Postsecondary Education?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 1a	Cohort College Participation Rates by family income quartile for dependent 18- to 24-year-olds
Indicator 1b	High School Graduates College Continuation Rates by Family Income Quartile
Indicator 1d(ii)	High School Graduates College Continuation Rates by race/ethnicity and family income quartile
Indicator 1h(ii)	Percentage of college students who are first-generation

Indicator 2: What Types of Postsecondary Institutions Do Students Attend?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 2a	Percentage distribution of full-time, first-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who did and did not receive Federal Grants (including Pell Grants) by level of institution attended
Indicator 2b	Percentage distributions by control of institution attended of full-time, first-time degree-seeking undergraduate Federal Grant recipients and nonrecipients
Indicator 2c	Percentage of full-time, first-time (FTFT) degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students receiving Pell or other Federal Grants by institutional level and control
Indicator 2d	Percentage distribution of each selectivity category of institutional destinations by parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) for high school class cohorts
Indicator 2e	Average percentage of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who were awarded Pell or other Federal Grants by institutional selectivity
Indicator 2f	Percentage distribution of 2009 9th graders who graduated from high school by institutional selectivity of enrollment in the fall after scheduled high school graduation (in 2013) by SES quintile
Indicator 2g	Percentage distribution of 2009 9th graders who graduated from high school by 2013 by institutional selectivity of enrollment in the fall after scheduled high school graduation by race/ethnicity

Indicator 3: Is Cost a Barrier to Higher Education Access and Completion?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 3a(i)	Average undergraduate tuition and fees, and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions by level and control
Indicator 3b(i)	Average costs (tuition and required fees plus room and board) for full-time undergraduate enrollment and maximum and average Pell Grant awards
Indicator 3b(ii)	Percentage of average costs (tuition and required fees plus room and board) covered by the maximum Pell Grant
Indicator 3b(iii)	Maximum Pell Grant if the Pell Grant maximum covered two-thirds of college costs
Indicator 3c(i)	Unmet financial need of dependent full-time undergraduates by family income quartile

Indicator 4: How Do Students in the United States Pay for College?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 4a(i)	Percentage distribution of higher education funding Percentage distribution of higher education funding responsibilities
Indicator 4b(i)	Average net price for dependent full-time undergraduate students who attended one institution for a full-year by family income quartile
Indicator 4b(ii)	Average net price as a percentage of average family income by income quartile for dependent full-time undergraduate students who attended one institution for a full year
Indicator 4c(i)	Number of federal borrowers, and cumulative amount of student debt
Indicator 4c(ii)	Percentage of bachelor’s degree completers who have ever received loans (federal and non-federal loans to students) and average amount borrowed among those who borrowed by institutional control
Indicator 4e(v)	Percentage of bachelor’s degree recipients borrowing and the average amount for undergraduate and graduate school 10 years after completion, by race/ethnicity

Indicator 5: How Do Educational Attainment Rates and Outcomes Vary by Student Characteristics?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 5a(i)	Estimated bachelor’s degree attainment by age 24 for dependent family members by family income quartile
Indicator 5a(ii)	Distribution of estimated bachelor’s degrees attained by dependent family members 18 to 24 years of age by family income quartile
Indicator 5a(iii)	Number and percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred by sex
Indicator 5c(v)	Enrollment and degree status by 2017 (6-year follow-up) of dependent students who first enrolled in a 4-year or 2-year institution in 2011-12 by family income quartile
Indicator 5c(vi)	Percentage distribution of certificates and degrees awarded for first-time, full-time students in four and six years, by Pell Grant status in the student’s first year
Indicator 5d(i)	Distributions of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees conferred to U.S. citizens and distribution of the civilian population by race/ethnicity
Indicator 5e(i)	Percentage distribution of first-time bachelor’s degree recipients by the highest level of education attained by either parent
Indicator 5f(iii)	Average annualized income for dependent students who received bachelor’s degrees in 2016 who were not enrolled in education and who were employed full-time at the 4-year follow-up in 2020 by parents’ income quartile, compared with full-time, year-round high school graduate workers 25 to 34 years old

Indicator 6: How Does Tertiary Educational Attainment in the U.S. Compare with Other Countries?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 6a	Percentage of adults aged 25 to 34 with a type A (equivalent of bachelor’s degree or above) tertiary degree
Indicator 6b	Percentage of adults aged 25 to 34 with a type A (bachelor’s or above) or type B (short-cycle or associate’s) tertiary degree
Indicator 6c	Percentage of 25- to 34-year olds who earned a tertiary degree, by parents’ highest educational attainment level and country

Indicator 7: Are There Differences in Higher Education Access, Attainment, and Cost by State?

Data/Charts	Title
Indicator 7a(i)	Estimated college participation rates for low-income students by state
Indicator 7b(i)	Postsecondary enrollment of 18- to 24-year-olds by state
Indicator 7d(i)	Average costs (undergraduate tuition, fees, and room and board) charged by 4-year public colleges and universities for full-time in-state students by state
Indicator 7d(ii)	Average costs (undergraduate tuition, fees, and room and board) charged by 4-year private (non-profit and for-profit) colleges and universities for full-time students by state
Indicator 7d(iii)	Average costs (undergraduate tuition, fees, not including room and board costs) charged by 2-year institutions for full-time in-state students by state
Indicator 7e	State need-based grant recipients as a percentage of Pell
Indicator 7g(ii)	Percentage of the population age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher by state:
Indicator 7g(iii)	Percentage of first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students earning any formal award (certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree) at the institution of first enrollment within 6 years by state of institution

Indicators Report

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