Policy Analysis and Research

To provide legislators and decision makers with the data and information they need, the Policy Analysis and Research unit furnishes accurate and timely information and offers expertise that advance WICHE’s mission of expanding educational access and excellence. It accomplishes this goal through analyses of relevant data related to K-12 and postsecondary education, demography, labor market information, and higher education finances; through assistance with policy design and implementation; and through projects that respond to the demographics of the West.

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Best Practices in Statewide Articulation and Transfer Systems

Seeks to develop a deeper understanding of how states coordinate their articulation and transfer programs for students who move from two-year to four-year institutions.
College Access Challenge Grant Consortium and Network

Aims to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Fostering Collaborative State-Level Education and Workforce Database Development

Helps states expand analytical capacity for improved policy and practice through longitudinal data systems development.
Getting What You Pay For

Helps legislators and policymakers better understand the complex and difficult-to-balance mix of higher education appropriations, tuition, and financial aid.
Knocking At The College Door

Provides projections of high school graduates, including data on enrollments and graduates by state and for major racial/ethnic groups covering the period from 1991-92 through 2021-22.
Non-traditional No More: Policy Solutions for Adult Learners

Aims to help selected states increase the number of “ready adults” (those who’ve accumulated a significant number of college credits but remain just shy of completing their degree) who return to college and finish their postsecondary education.
Rocky Mountain Collaborative to Transform the Health Professions Workforce

Works to expand the pipeline of underrepresented populations through all sectors of postsecondary education and ultimately into the health professions.