What the Data Tells Us About Student Success in 2026

26 Stats for 2026

Inside Higher Ed compiled 26 key data points to highlight emerging trends in the student experience and how students are viewing higher education. The collection offers a quick, accessible way for faculty, staff, and administrators to ground strategy conversations in evidence rather than anecdotes. The data points surface shifts in student expectations, engagement, and support needs that cut across academic and student affairs. Used well, the list can serve as a shared starting point for campus-wide planning discussions.

Key Takeaway: Bring data into 2026 planning conversations early, especially around student experience signals that cut across silos.

USDOE Launches $15M Push for Talent Marketplaces 

The U.S. Department of Education announced a $15 million competition to help states build “Talent Marketplaces” that connect credentials, learning records, and job opportunities. The initiative encourages governors to partner with colleges, workforce agencies, and employers beginning in January. The goal is to strengthen career pathways, support skills-based hiring, and improve recognition of prior learning and work experience. For colleges, this signals continued federal momentum around learning records and portable credentials.

Quick Insight: States are accelerating infrastructure for skills-based hiring and learning records, and colleges should be ready to connect their credentials to these systems.

Helping Students Achieve Economic Mobility

A Public Agenda resource points to strategies associated with stronger earnings outcomes for low-income students. The summary emphasizes family engagement, robust support systems, and institutional investment in resources as practices linked to improved earnings potential. The story frames mobility as something institutions can shape through deliberate design, not just hope for through admissions. It is a practical agenda for student success and equity work without relying on slogans.

Key Insight: Economic mobility gains are tied to concrete institutional practices, so scale what works: engagement, support, and targeted investment.

2025 trends and student success looking to 2026 

Inside Higher Ed’s student success coverage this week is heavily oriented toward 2026 planning signals, emphasizing changing student experience patterns and what institutions should track. It complements the “26 Stats for 2026” framing and reinforces the idea that student success strategy is becoming more data-driven and cross-functional. For faculty and staff, the implication is to align teaching, support services, and analytics around shared indicators and interventions.

Takeaway: Student success is consolidating into an institution-wide strategy space, with shared metrics and coordinated interventions.

Published: December 19, 2025