Congratulations to Amarillo College and Imperial Valley College, winners of the 2023 Aspen Prize!

The winners represent the amazing potential of America’s thousand-plus community colleges as engines of prosperity and social mobility.

Announcing the Aspen Presidents Fellowship

Applications are open now for our newest offering. The Presidents Fellowship is for presidents with at least three years in-role, serving at colleges that a ready for transformation. Apply by June 7 to join and dig deep into the strategies and capacities needed to advance student success and equity.

New Report: Rural Community College Excellence

Rural community colleges are more than education providers; they are essential hubs in their regions, generating opportunities for economic mobility and driving talent development. Our new report includes dynamic examples from across the country.

Announcing the 10 colleges selected of Unlocking Opportunity!

A first-of-its-kind initiative reflecting the next wave of the community college reform: a bold focus on excellence and equity in post-completion outcomes.

Improving the Path to Transfer

Colleges rely on articulation agreements to improve transfer pathways, but they don’t solve the problem. A new analysis shows how student-centered alternatives can to yield better transfer outcomes.

A higher standard of excellence

The Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership that significantly improve student learning, completion, and employment after college—especially for the growing population of students of color and low-income students on American campuses.

We support colleges and universities in their quest to achieve a higher standard of excellence, delivering credentials that unlock life-changing careers and strengthen our economy, society, and democracy.

We know it takes visionary college leaders to achieve this higher standard and we make it our mission to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and research-backed tools to inspire change, shift practice, and advance the capacity of colleges to deliver excellent and equitable student outcomes.

“My community college changed my life.”

Students at the 2021 Aspen Prize finalist institutions share how they have been set up for success.