College Completion

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First-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students face particular challenges in completing college. Financial pressures can force them to drop out, but another big challenge is getting the academic and emotional support they need to navigate a college environment. Many nonprofits, colleges and philanthropists are now attuned to these issues, and work around college completion is growing. Priority areas include basic needs, community connection and belonging, mental health resources and academic support, and degree and career pathways. Think of it this way: Scholarships help students get to college. Giving for college completion helps at-risk students succeed at college and get to graduation. This guide offers advice about how funders can contribute to college completion, highlights leading philanthropic strategies, and offers guidance for how donors new to this space can get started with giving.  

Strategies for Impact

Nonprofits are engaged in diverse efforts to support college completion. Below, we discuss areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight organizations that represent the kind of nonprofits that donors might consider supporting. 

  • Meet basic needs. Paying for living expenses can be an issue for first-generation and low-income college students. The sad reality is that many students drop out of college because they can’t afford housing or food when they leave home. They may also need help with child care or unexpected healthcare expenses. There are many nonprofits addressing this issue. Swipe Out Hunger, a national food access program, partners with more than 550 college campuses so that no student has to choose between food and education. Generation Hope, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, recognizes the additional college completion funding that teenage student parents may need, including academic tutoring, mental health support and child care coverage. 

  • Prioritize racial and economic equity. Since BIPOC students — especially those who are first-generation college students and/or come from under-resourced families — are disproportionately affected by challenges to completing college, there are many nonprofits specifically devoted to these impacted communities. Excelencia in Education strives to ensure that Latino students thrive at college. College Track works in 12 of the most historically disadvantaged U.S. communities, where talent abounds but opportunity does not. The organization recruits first-generation students eager to earn a four-year degree and shepherds them through the process from middle school to college graduation. The Bottom Line provides college mentors to historically underrepresented, first-generation, low-income college students in New York City, Boston, Worcester, Chicago and Ohio through both its college access and college success programs. 

  • Support on- and off-campus organizations. Many colleges and universities are working to bolster college success with internal initiatives worthy of funding, like basic-needs centers and programs that foster a sense of community for students with specific concerns, degree pathway advisors, and career mentoring. If you already support a specific institution, see what they are doing in this area. National nonprofits tackling the college completion conundrum include Complete College America, which provides technical assistance to higher-education institutions to improve college completion, often redesigning what a college pathway looks like to help foster success.

  • Give to high-school-based programs. National college preparatory school networks in low-income communities, such as the Catholic-faith-based Cristo Rey Network and the public charter school KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program), offer alumni resources dedicated to college completion, mentoring and guiding former students through college, especially when the colleges they attend don’t have such supports in place.

Insights and Advice 

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. They should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact to improve college completion. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

  • Find a focus. What aspect of college completion are you passionate about, or where do you have knowledge or a personal connection? Perhaps these are places to start. There are nonprofits working on college completion efforts around the country. Identifying a location or community that matters to you can help you focus your contributions. Were you the first in your family to graduate from college? Do  you want to contribute to college success efforts at your alma mater? Or was there a college preparatory program at the high school you attended? The answers to these questions may help you find nonprofits to support. If you’re already giving for scholarships, find out what percentage of students are graduating from the college or university you donate to and ask where you might best direct giving for college completion. Or designate a percentage of your scholarship donation to college completion efforts, such as basic needs or emergency aid. Consider making a gift to a minority-serving institution such as a historically Black college or university, a Hispanic-serving Institution or a tribal college. Find a list of schools here and be sure to earmark your gift for college completion.

For Donors Getting Started

Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by reading IP’s recent coverage of giving for college completion. The nonprofit Institute for College Access & Success provides a wealth of reports and news articles on the topic. Some of the organizations mentioned above, such as The Crimsonbridge Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, also publish informative articles and reports. 

To find well-respected charities working on college completion, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country. 

The best way to get started giving for college completion is to make some initial gifts, get to know the work of the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way. 

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.