News

The Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has published a new report that identifies the state’s top seven, four-year postsecondary institutions that are good investments for underserved students. 

“Cornerstones of Student Success: Institutions Yielding High Return on Investment for Underserved Students” is written by Janet Holt, PhD, professor emeritus in the SIUE Department of Educational Leadership, and the IERC’s Daniel Duffy. 

Through analysis of publicly available institutional data on graduation rates, earnings, student loan debt and loan default rates, the report ranks 55 public, nonprofit private, and for-profit private institutions. The study was motivated by the need to provide an equitable education for all students and meet 21st century employment needs during a time of changing demographics in the U.S. 

The report is the second in a series of publications at the IERC on underserved students, according to Holt, lead author. The first report, “Degrees with Less Debt,” identified five Missouri institutions that were graduating underrepresented students with less debt, and analyzed the institutions’ strategies. 

“Together these two reports put the focus on institutions that are admitting a fair number of low-income students and are helping underserved students graduate and gain employment with less debt,” said Holt. “Some universities are doing an excellent job of serving these students, and we wanted to highlight this.” 

The report also helps consumers by summarizing college ranking formulas and providing a new metric that can be used to determine high return on investment for underserved students. 

“The study can be used by counselors, teachers, parents, students and access organizations, to help students recognize important factors when choosing a college,” said IERC Interim Director Bradford White. “Additionally, the report has recommendations for Illinois policy to ultimately improve the college outcomes for students of color, low-income students and first-generation students.” 

For more information on these reports, contact Holt at janholt@siue.edu. For more information on the IERC, contact White at brawhit@siue.edu. 

The Illinois Education Research Council is an independent research organization that conducts education policy research on issues of import to the state of Illinois. Since 2009, it has been the legislated research arm of the Illinois P-20 Council. Our policy research follows important educational trends in Illinois and is disseminated through our research reports, presentations to the Illinois P-20 Council and its subcommittees and through conference presentations.