Colleges and universities must move past graduation rates alone when evaluating student success and focus more intentionally on what happens after students complete a credential, says Aarti Dhupelia, CEO of One Million Degrees, on the University Business Podcast.
“Far too many colleges stop at degree completion or certificate completion as their ultimate outcome,” she says. “The reality is that for students to achieve their return on investment in education, they need to be succeeding in the next step after college.”
One Million Degrees provides wraparound student support—such as personalized counseling, career services and financial stipends—to institutions across Illinois, Ohio, Texas and Louisiana.
One recent long-term study revealed that City Colleges of Chicago students assisted by One Million Degrees were more likely to earn a credential and achieve higher career earnings.
The organization’s partnership with the City Colleges now serves nearly 3,000 students annually. Dhupelia credited shared goals, weekly communication and robust data sharing as essential to maintaining quality at scale. One Million Degrees and City Colleges use the same case management system, allowing advisors and coaches to coordinate support in real time.
Employer partnerships are another core pillar. Companies including Aon, Allstate and CDW provide volunteer coaches, internships and feedback on curriculum alignment.
Dhupelia emphasized that employer engagement is driven by companies seeking broader talent pipelines and better alignment between credentials and skills, especially in the age of artificial intelligence.
The City University of New York is another system that successfully supports community college students, Dhupelia says. The North Carolina Community College System is now replicating CUNY’s wraparound services.
The step is ferrying graduates into the workforce, Dhupelia says. Too many institutions treat degree completion as the endpoint while students define success by job placement or successful transfer, she says.
“Our mission is to partner with community college systems to accelerate students toward achieving economic mobility,” she says.
