Is the University Next Door the Way to Upward Mobility?

Most of the nation’s bachelor’s students attend what are often called “comprehensive universities,” public institutions that primarily enroll students who live near the school and educate their students chiefly for jobs in the local economy. Relatively little research focuses on these institutions as a group, and therefore not much is known about these campuses, especially regarding their role in promoting social mobility. This report investigates factors that might explain variation in mobility rates. It finds that the factor most closely associated with higher mobility rates is college graduation. The report concludes with a discussion of several ideas to potentially increase graduation rates at comprehensive universities.