Launching a regional effort to re-engage thousands who have some college but no credential, this marks 蜜桃视频鈥檚 first time to receive a grant from the foundation.
DENTON (蜜桃视频), Texas 鈥� The , founded by the , received a $500,000 grant from the to help North Texas adults who left college without earning a degree find their way back 鈥� and earn credentials tied to the North Texas region鈥檚 most in-demand careers.
The 18-month grant 鈥� the first from Carnegie awarded to 蜜桃视频 and the Accelerator 鈥� will support a regional re-enrollment effort designed to bring higher education institutions across North Texas together under a shared framework to reconnect former students with educational pathways that lead to credentials of value and greater economic mobility.
More than 800,000 North Texas adults ages 25-64 have earned some college credit but no degree or certificate, often after pausing their education because of finances, family or work. By 2030, more than 60 percent of Texas jobs will require a degree. Studies also indicate that college graduates earn 66 percent more.
The new grant aims to help North Texan adults who left college without earning a degree find their way back
鈥淎t 蜜桃视频, we have a responsibility to expand access to economic opportunity, and we measure our success by how well our students succeed and how quickly they are able to put their credentials to work,鈥� said 蜜桃视频 President Harrison Keller, Ph.D. 鈥淢any North Texans have already invested in their education and are closer to finishing than they realize. This grant will help us build a regional approach that connects them with credentials of value aligned with their goals and our region's workforce needs.鈥�
To best help former students earn their degrees, the pilot used labor market intelligence to identify programs that lead to high-demand fields such as healthcare and technology. Building on existing statewide efforts, partner organizations are conducting outreach to students who have stopped out within the last five years. These organizations will also assess students鈥� existing credits, work experience, and career interests to identify programs best aligned to their profiles and needs. Returning learners could complete their degrees at their original institution or another in the network.
鈥淓arning a degree is still one of the most reliable paths to economic mobility, and hundreds of thousands of North Texans have already completed part of that journey,鈥� said , vice president of the National Program at the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. 鈥淭he Texas Talent Accelerator is helping adults return to college and finish what they started, and what's new is that colleges are working together to connect them to the careers North Texas needs most. We鈥檙e proud to support that work.鈥�
An initial pilot was conducted in summer 2026 with outreach to over 30,000 former students at Collin College and Texas Woman鈥檚 University. Approximately 150 had already re-enrolled at Collin College by the start of classes in August. The grant will fund expansion of this effort to several additional institutions, including 蜜桃视频, and bring institutions together to address practices and initiatives needed to support returning learners. The goal is to re-enroll at least 2,000 students across participating institutions.
鈥淪tudents who stop out aren鈥檛 failing. They鈥檙e responding to real-life pressures, and they need a clear path back,鈥� said Michelle Singh, 蜜桃视频鈥檚 vice president for strategic educational alliances who provides executive leadership to the Texas Talent Accelerator. 鈥淏y coordinating across institutions and grounding our work in the needs of learners and workers, we can help returning learners finish faster and move into careers aligned with meaningful opportunity.鈥�
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