The Strada Education Foundation released its 2026 State Opportunities Index, measuring states’ performance in helping college students achieve positive returns on their educational investments. The report tracks five key areas: affordability, clear outcomes data, employer alignment, quality career coaching, and work-based learning opportunities.
Work-based learning has seen the most dramatic improvement. In 2024, when Strada first assessed this metric, no state was deemed strong in providing such opportunities, with only about a quarter of bachelor’s degree graduates having completed a paid internship. By the time of the latest report, at least four states are now rated strong in work-based learning, 12 are nearly at that level, and 43 percent of graduating seniors report completing paid, immersive work-based learning experiences. Additionally, progress has been recorded in other measured categories, including employer alignment and career coaching quality.
The report revealed mixed results across its five measured categories. For clear outcomes data infrastructure, the number of leading states increased from nine to 17, while advanced states grew from 12 to 22. In affordability, 35 states now earned a leading designation for associate degrees compared to 24 previously, and two states achieved that ranking for bachelor’s degrees, up from none. However, the percentage of graduates nationally with positive returns on investment after ten years increased only marginally, rising approximately two percentage points and stabilizing at 70 percent.
Strada introduced new features to its 2026 index designed to facilitate knowledge-sharing among states. A “states to watch” section highlights Indiana for establishing a consultant team at Ivy Tech Community College to develop work-based opportunities through employer partnerships. A “pathways to progress” section identifies strategies such as stipend programs for student teachers and paid apprenticeships for nursing students.
Strada officials acknowledged that continued improvements are necessary to fully connect students to economic opportunity and meet national workforce needs, but characterized the overall trajectory as demonstrating tangible progress across state higher education systems.
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