Policy and Research

Providing unbiased, relevant policy and data resources

WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research supports better-informed decision-making through numerous research projects and collaborations focused on postsecondary completion, closing attainment gaps, adult learners, and multistate data sharing to support educational planning and workforce development. Staff serve as expert resources on higher education issues including finance, state and federal financial aid, articulation and transfer, strategic planning, and student demographics. Publications, including the WICHE Insights series, explore a range of significant policy issues, while staff members also undertake long-term grant-funded projects, collaborate with regional and national partners, and provide short-term technical assistance to WICHE members.

Featured Policy and Research Publications

PLA Policy and Practice as Experienced by Academic Records Professionals and Students

July 14, 2020

Recognizing Prior Learning in the COVID-19 Era

June 26, 2020

Tuition and Fees, Appropriations, and Financial Aid in the West: Strategic Alignment in Time of Uncertainty

May 1, 2020

Initiatives and Resources

Data Resources

Technical Assistance

Recognition of Learning

Multistate Longitudinal Data Exchange

Task Force: Closing Attainment Gaps

WICHE curates and provides state and regional data relevant to postsecondary access and success, demographics, higher education finance and affordability, and more.

WICHE’s team works directly with diverse partners to provide meeting facilitation, legislative testimony, capacity-building, and other services.

WICHE is engaged in a broad-based research effort to examine the state of play for recognition of learning, identify policy and practice barriers and exemplars, and develop new evaluations and research to place better information in the hands of policymakers and practitioners.

The Multistate Longitudinal Data Exchange allows states to safely exchange educational and employment data across state lines to develop a fuller picture of how well their educational and employment systems are performing.

WICHE is convening a Task Force of cross-sector teams from three state partners–Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming–to create action plans for addressing their state’s most pressing disparities in credential attainment and to jointly develop regional recommendations for the West.

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Latest Data Resource

WICHE’s data resources are updated throughout the year to provide relevant and timely analysis of postsecondary trends in the West. The included visualization is the undergraduate enrollment metrics included in WICHE’s annually updated Benchmarks series and highlights trends in postsecondary enrollment for the West and each state and territory. The latest Benchmarks edition includes nine interactive dashboards focused in the areas of access, attainment, finance, and affordability. Across all data resources, WICHE provides a comprehensive overview of relevent higher education trends in the West.

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In Focus

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