Strive for College honors colleges and universities that excel in five key areas of distinction

ALAMOSA  – Students who are the first in their family to pursue higher education or come from a low-income household continue to be severely underrepresented on college campuses, despite high educational aspirations.  While over 80 percent of such students have expectations of going to college in the tenth grade, only 20 percent will earn a bachelor’s degree by the age of 25.

Adams State University is working to change this trend and has been recognized by nonprofit Strive for College for excellence in Inclusion, Diversity, and Affordability, for low-income and first-generation college students. 

Strive for College’s “Strive Five” distinctions are a set of data-based measures of actual performance in five key areas that demonstrate a tangible commitment to students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

The “Strive Five” categories are:

1. Inclusion - greater than 25% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, meaning at least 1 in 4 students come from a low-income family. Nationally, 32% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants across all postsecondary institutions.

2. Diversity - greater than 40% of undergraduates are Black, Latino, or Native American. 40% approximates the national average of undergraduates from underrepresented minority groups across all postsecondary institutions.

3. Affordability - Colleges with a net price of less than $13,500 for low-income students, approximately the national average net price for students from households with incomes between $0 and $30,000 who received Title IV federal financial aid across all four-year institutions.

4. Completion - Colleges that meet or exceed the national averages for Retention (greater than 81% first-year to second-year retention rate)  AND  Graduation (greater than 51% six-year graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients.)

5. Outcomes - greater than 25% of graduates who were from the bottom fifth of incomes as students and moved to the top fifth as adults, meaning they have among the highest percentage of students who both came from a lower-income family and ended up a higher-income adult.

Adams State is committed to being the college of choice for diverse, historically underserved groups and all who value quality education and inclusivity.

Colleges that partner with Strive for College and meet the criteria for at least one “Strive Five” distinction are awarded a customized badge to highlight their exceptional achievements.