NATIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK INC
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Mission Statement
NCAN's mission is to build, strengthen, and empower communities committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those underrepresented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams through a two- or four-year degree or high-quality certificate program.
About This Cause
A low-income student is half as likely to complete a postsecondary certificate or degree by age 26 as a high-income student. Students of color and those who would be first-generation college-goers experience similarly low rates of postsecondary success. Fortunately, this inequitable outcome isn’t inevitable. When students receive support to complete the college admissions and financial aid process as well as relevant information about postsecondary and career options, postsecondary enrollment and completion rates rise dramatically. NCAN is a membership network of 400-plus organizations across the United States with a steadfast commitment to closing the postsecondary completion gap for students historically underrepresented in higher education. In fact, students served by NCAN-member organizations regularly outperform other low-income students in enrolling in and graduating from postsecondary education and, in many cases, close the graduation gap with higher-income students. NCAN members receive professional development, networking, benchmarking, and news from the field so they can support more students, more effectively. NCAN members touch the lives of more than 2 million students each year and span a broad range of the education, government, and civic sectors, including national and community-based nonprofits, colleges and universities, public school districts, charter schools, and state higher education agencies. NCAN supports equitable postsecondary outcomes for students through four strategies. 1. Enhancing the capacity of the college access and success field by providing high-quality data, innovative ideas, and accessible tools. NCAN provides tools and resources to help member organizations adopt proven strategies for students and measure their results. For example, NCAN’s Benchmarking Project allows members to compare the progress of their students against one another as well as national rates for postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion. The Common Measures framework helps organizations focus on the most effective intervention points for students, such as support for taking standardized admissions tests, completing multiple college applications, and filing the FAFSA. The Form Your Future(R) FAFSA completion campaign includes high-quality social media messages and other free communications materials communities can use to raise awareness about financial aid as well as organize and train volunteers to assist with FAFSA completion. NCAN also explores cutting-edge developments, such as the connection between college and career success, and occasionally provides regrants to member organizations to pursue new initiatives. 2. Bolstering the skills and competencies of college access and success leaders and practitioners with regular professional development opportunities. To do their best work, organizations that provide college access and success services to students must be well-trained and well-informed. Through timely and targeted information and professional development, NCAN supports the growth and development of member organizations so they can serve more students more effectively and efficiently. This strategy involves a national conference, regional “spring training” events on hot topics, a blog and weekly e-newsletter, monthly webinars, online training, and learning communities. Subjects include: financial aid, FAFSA completion, college admissions advising for low-income students, cultural competence, career exploration and advising, parent engagement, college admissions tests, finding a good college fit for first-generation college-goers, college retention strategies, technology to promote college access and success, and unique support needs of adult learners and youth experiencing foster care or homelessness. 3. Amplifying a range of policy solutions and engaging members in advocacy to make higher education more accessible and effective for low-income students. Millions of first-generation and underrepresented students each year could benefit from improved federal and state policies related to financial aid and higher education. NCAN mobilizes the voices of its members and their students in the nation's capital to ensure that the perspectives of low-income individuals are represented in the higher education policy debate. NCAN advocates for simplifying the federal financial aid system and increasing the availability of need-based aid. Recently, NCAN added state policy to its advocacy work and is supporting member organizations in identifying and pursuing a range of policy goals relevant to their state circumstances. 4. Foster relationships within communities and across sectors that support college access and success for underrepresented students. Increasing postsecondary completion rates throughout the education pipeline and across an entire community or region takes cooperation from many sectors. NCAN identifies opportunities to collaborate with K-12 schools, higher education institutions, the business community, philanthropists, and government agencies to increase support for college access and success services and strategies. NCAN also partners with entities that take statewide or local responsibility to coordinate the range of program activities and system changes that result in more college graduates. NCAN’s membership includes dozens of state and local networks, such as College Success Arizona, College Access Consortium of New York, Florida College Access Network, Learn More Indiana, Michigan College Access Network, and Southern California College Access Network.