We are 11 large public research universities working together to help more low-income & first generation students succeed
In three years, our campuses have increased the number of degrees awarded to low-income students by 0 percent
Slide Four
We help universities share ideas & work together to ensure all students succeed
Who We Are
The University Innovation Alliance is the leading national coalition of public research universities committed to increasing the number and diversity of college graduates in the United States.
We share a sense of urgency about this work because we are public universities with a public mission. Higher education needs to do a better job of graduating students across the socioeconomic spectrum, particularly low-income students, first-generation students, and students of color. Raising graduation rates is imperative for individual social mobility and U.S. global competitiveness.
For too long, colleges and universities wasted time and resources trying to solve this graduation challenge by themselves. It was inefficient and ineffective, and students paid the price. In 2014, we flipped the script. We decided to innovate together. We set ambitious goals, opened up our data, and agreed to share everything we learn.
After just three years, our 11 campuses are producing 25 percent more low-income graduates per year. That’s nearly 6,000 additional graduates annually. By 2025, we’re on track to produce an additional 100,000 graduates across the alliance. We believe this work is a movement, and we are just getting started.
As research universities it is in our nature to experiment, solve problems, and discover new ideas. We’ve learned a lot about which innovations are most effective at helping students stay in school and graduate. We’ve also learned a lot about how to transfer good ideas from one institution to another. We came together as a community of practice with a radical commitment to being open and honest with each other about our successes and failures. Now, we’re capturing and sharing what we know with colleges and universities across the country, because we want others to build on our work.
For more information about our first scaling initiative and goals:
Our universities have a history of innovating to help low income students. Each institution has their own unique approach. Our diversity of perspective, experience, profile, location, and size are our strengths.
UCF is a national leader in partnership and collaboration. Since launching Direct Connect 69% more AA transfer students complete a bachelors degree at UCF.
Oregon State is a land, sea, air, space, and sun grant institution with a nationally recognized Science and Math Investigative Learning (SMILE) program.
ASU's eAdvisor is an innovative and nationally recognized method to support student success which has improved Freshman retention by 9.5%, and increased six year graduation by 19.3%.
Georgia State University is a national leader in pioneering and scaling new models for academic advising, personalized learning, and financial-aid interventions.
Committed to affordability, Purdue has frozen tuition, developed three-year competency-based degrees, and lowered student costs to improve access for all.
UC Riverside is one of two campuses in the country where underrepresented minority and low-income students graduate at the same rate as the campus-wide average.
ISU has been on the leading edge of learning communities for the past twenty years, creating a personalized and intentional environment for students to succeed.
University of Texas at Austin is a cutting edge university, engaging in thoughtfully testing new ways to serve more students and help them be successful.
MSU's Neighborhoods harness the power of the nation's largest residence hall system, bringing academic and student success resources to students where they live.
