This story is based on reporting by Olivia Sanchez for The Hechinger Report.
The broadcast version is by Terri Dee for Indiana News Service, reporting for The Hechinger Report-Public News Service Collaboration


College admission counselors generally review an applicant's grade-point average, school activities and volunteer work to decide if a student would be a good fit. But some institutions are looking beyond the 'traditional' student profile with an online tool before granting acceptance.

Technology called the "Common App" includes a question which allows a potential student to explain their outside obligations.

Tricia Ross Anderson, college admission program director for the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said many of the skills can contribute to a successful academic experience.

"I think many colleges are looking at this as, this is a student who can manage a lot. And this is really impressive, right?" Ross Anderson pointed out. "You might have time management skills; if you're translating, you've got language skills and translation skills. So, I think this can speak to a lot of students' strengths and skills, absolutely."

The app asks if the applicant is responsible for caring for siblings, transporting an older family member, or managing their finances. The belief is if a student is getting good grades while managing multiple responsibilities, their tenacity and time management skills could be good indicators of academic ability.

Enrollment numbers for Illinois colleges and universities for this school year total nearly 696,000. Most institutions are unaware of an applicant's home and family responsibilities.

Ross Anderson noted the app allows better insight into a student's life. She also encouraged students to include the information in college applications.

"The tricky part is that a lot of students don't know to include this information as part of their application," Ross Anderson explained. "Then there's not a great place to put it on the current application. I think all colleges are happy to review it when it is included."

Since 2022, about two dozen colleges have accessed the app while reviewing student applications, and 66% of students who applied to a dozen colleges checked at least one box on the app.

This story was produced with original reporting by Olivia Sanchez for The Hechinger Report.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

For active-duty service members and veterans eyeing a college degree, the march to academic success just got easier. The University of North Carolina system now has a tool that simplifies the conversion of military expertise into university credits across 16 campuses.

Bradley Wrenn, program manager for military and veterans education with UNC, described the system's Military Equivalency System as a way to streamline what used to be a rigorous process for people looking to find out how much of their military service translates to a college degree.

"The real challenges fell in the students not really knowing where to submit the information. There wasn't really a system-wide mechanism for them to input their military training and experience information, and so they were doing it at the university level," Wrenn said.

He noted that there was inconsistency among universities regarding who provided information to potential students. Now, anyone with an American Council on Education joint services transcript can easily input their information to find out which courses they will receive credit for.

The impact of this initiative extends beyond individual students. North Carolina ranks as the fourth-largest state for military members, and Wrenn said the UNC System aims to leverage this tool to address critical workforce needs. By credentialing military members, Wrenn added they will have the opportunity to fill needs in high-demand fields such as health sciences, business, education, and STEM.

"We see these folks who are coming out of the military as being key to being able to fill those workforce needs by credentialing them in such a way that they're able to take those jobs because our end goal is not only to graduate our students and to credential them but to keep them here in the state, " Wrenn added.

There are about 7,000 course matches in the tool's database, but Wrenn says it will expand to include more courses. More than 21,000 military-affiliated students enrolled in UNC institutions, representing nearly 10% of the student population.

Boston University's Prison Education Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and is hoping to expand.

Students at Massachusetts Correctional Institution Norfolk and MCI Framingham are earning undergraduate certificates and Bachelor of Liberal Arts degrees, to reform their lives and find ways to give back to their communities upon release.

Program Director Mary Ellen Mastrorilli said it offers hope for a better self, and her students are eager to learn.

"They're highly motivated," said Mastrorilli. "They're not afraid to work hard. They do their assignments. They're just, in some ways, the ideal student."

Mastrorilli said there's a misconception that educating people in prison is being soft on crime, but research shows these programs reduce misconduct and cut the likelihood of recidivism nearly in half.

That may be due to the better job prospects and higher wages that formerly incarcerated people with education experience.

It's also one reason Mastrorilli said she hopes the program will expand - and why even more universities, including Tufts and Emerson, are growing their own prison initiatives, and giving students a second chance.

"The prison education classroom is a space where they get to claim their humanity and their dignity," said Mastrorilli. "And it's easy to understand how personal growth will come from that."

Students in Boston University's program have earned more than 400 bachelor's degrees in the past few decades alone.

Mastrorilli said the undergraduate certificate program has also become increasingly popular with people serving shorter sentences, and for those unsure if they can handle the degree program workload.

She said it's important to judge her students not by their crimes, but as human beings with unlocked potential.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

This summer, colleges and universities will have to comply with a new federal rule and not withhold students' transcripts over unpaid tuition and fees.

North Dakota officials see the movement as a boost to people pursuing new job skills. The U.S. Education Department said starting July 1, higher-ed institutions cannot refuse to turn over transcripts related to any course paid for by federal student loans or grants, which are sometimes prompted by overdue book fees or other school debt.

Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor of academic and student affairs for the North Dakota University System, said for a person looking to re-enroll or apply for a new job, overcoming such obstacles can be huge.

"If we're trying to attract returning adults, individuals who have 'stopped out,' this really has to be a part of your focus and the broader array of policies and procedures that we look at," Johnson contended.

North Dakota's system is not designed to issue partial transcripts. Johnson expects the state to honor releases for all situations involving an outstanding balance. A formal vote is expected this spring. She noted campuses would still have leeway to prevent a student from seeking new courses at their school over fears they would be taking on too much additional debt.

In those cases, Johnson pointed out a student can try to work with the campus on a repayment plan, or seek out opportunities at other schools, including certificate programs which may cost less. She added some North Dakota schools are exploring other ways to ease debt issues.

"Campuses are having preliminary discussions about waiving low levels of outstanding debt," Johnson emphasized. "Things like parking tickets."

Beyond wiping out minor balances, she noted schools within the North Dakota system are being proactive in working with former students looking to pay off their debt. She said it is better than relying on collection agencies tacking on additional fees and putting students in a more difficult spot.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.