Unlocking Opportunity

Developed with the Community College Research Center (CCRC), the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program is engaged in a first-of-its-kind initiative that reflects the next wave of community college student success reforms: a focus on post-completion outcomes. Colleges selected for the network work closely with Aspen, expert coaches, and field experts over multiple years on comprehensive reforms with one overarching goal: substantially increasing the number of community college students entering and completing programs that lead directly to good jobs or to completion of a bachelor’s degree. 

The network engages college leaders and teams in intensive data analysis, which includes setting a living wage for the students in their region, and classifying programs based on outcomes for graduates, either in transfer and bachelor’s attainment or directly in the workforce. Based on learnings from the data, leaders and teams identify strategy areas with aligned quantitative goals. Colleges will receive differentiated support during the development of strategy plans and college implementation based on institutional needs and progress in the network.

What does this look like in practice? After participating in Unlocking Opportunity, one of the pilot colleges revamped its agronomy program, adding new skills that led to a doubling of program enrollment and higher wages for graduates. Students in the child care program—a high-demand but often low-paying job—are steered to transfer to bachelor’s degrees in elementary education, which also helps address the local need for more teachers. And the college eliminated its culinary arts program, as it did not lead to a living wage for graduates—and local employers said they could hire and train residents without a college credential.

This project is made possible by support from: Arnold Ventures, Ascendium Education Group, Bank of America, ECMC Foundation, and JPMorganChase.

Unlocking Opportunity began in 2023 with 10 pilot network colleges:

In 2025, Unlocking Opportunity welcomed 55 colleges to the expanded network:

This program classification guidebook and accompanying data analysis and visualization tools are available for community colleges seeking to (1) increase the number of students in high-value programs that lead directly to a well-paid job or to transfer and a bachelor’s degree and (2) decrease the number of students in lower-value pathways that are unlikely to prepare them for good jobs or further education at the bachelor’s level. These resources were developed by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) and the Community College Research Center (CCRC) during their work with the ten Unlocking Opportunity network colleges, and are made possible thanks to generous support from Arnold Ventures, Ascendium Education Group, ECMC Foundation, and the Strada Education Foundation.

Classifying Community College Programs by Post-Completion Success in Transfer and Workforce is a guide that provides the conceptual framework and technical guidance for colleges to classify all their programs—and subsequently all enrollments and awards—into broad categories based on post-completion value. (Updated in August 2025)

The Enrollment Analysis Tool is a downloadable Excel-based tool that allows community colleges to enter their own program data, producing visualizations and analyses that enable college leaders to identify patterns and possible strategies to improve programs’ post-completion value and increase the number of students in high-value programs. (Updated in August 2025)

An Inquiry Guide on Classifying Community College Programs by Post-Completion Success in Transfer and Workforce accompanies the Enrollment Analysis Tool and further guides college leaders on what questions to consider as they review their data. (Updated in August 2025)

The Strengthening Community College Program Maps and Educational Plans for Post-Completion Value: Practical Guide helps colleges assess and strengthen program maps and ensure those maps are used to help students develop educational plans, all with the goal of helping students achieve strong post-completion outcomes—either through transferring to a bachelor’s program or securing a job with a living wage.