About Our Postsecondary Education Report

In 2008 the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation partnered with the Vermont Community Foundation to study the ways philanthropy could improve access to higher education in Vermont. They recognized that by improving access to higher education they could address many issues at once including education, workforce readiness, youth development, economic prosperity, civic engagement, and equal opportunity.

Visit the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation to learn more about education research in Vermont.

We are pleased to share with you the results of this work.

  • Download the full report (1 MB PDF)

  • Download the Data Supplements (1.2K PDF) (34 pages)
  • Works Cited



    • Take Action

    Thanks to the leadership funding from the McClure Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation has established the Access to Higher Education fund. This fund serves as a focal point for philanthropists interested in removing barriers to higher education. This is not a simple scholarship fund. This fund looks to impact the barriers that prevent Vermonters from aspiring to and attaining the advanced education they need to stay in Vermont; achieve their personal goals; and help our state prosper.

    Please click the button below to donate to this fund on our secure PayPal page with your credit card or PayPal account. Please keep the donation confirmation for tax purposes.


    If you would like to donate by check    , please make it payable to: The Vermont Community Foundation and mail to: P.O. Box 30, Middlebury, VT 05753. Please write "Access to Higher Education Fund" in the memo section of the check.


    Learn More

    Interested in learning more? Click on the links below for more information on some of the promising approaches highlighted in the Postsecondary Education report. 

    • Vermont's Most Promising Jobs is a resource designed to share information gathered by the Vermont Department of Labor to help assist Vermont students, graduates, and veterans seeking new careers.   
    • College of St. Joseph in Rutland provides students with high-quality education at an affordable price. 
    • Vermont Student Assistance Corporation provides information and financial resources for Vermont students to pursue postsecondary education, within or outside the state
    • Champlain College's Vermont First scholarship program is increasing the number of Vermont residents enrolled in the school and opening postsecondary access to students whose families have little or no experience with higher education.
    • The Introduction to College Studies course at Community College of Vermont, offered to all Vermont high school students, seeks to build student aspirations for postsecondary education by exploring the skills and expectations necessary at the college level.
    • College Connections (Linking Learning to Life) offers opportunities to explore postsecondary education options for students in their sophomore, junior and senior years of high school, as well as those in alternative education programs or who may have dropped out of school.
    • College for Every Student, a national nonprofit based in Cornwall, Vermont, works to raise student aspirations and performance so that they can prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in college.
    • Vocational-technical programs inspire college readiness and provide an outstanding resource for Vermont’s high school students, especially those who are interested in health care, technology, automotive, and design fields, among many others. 
    • Southern Vermont College, Champlain College, and the University of Vermont, among others, have developed financial aid programs designed to increase access for targeted populations.

    Please fill out our feedback form if you would you like to request a copy of the report; have questions or comments related to the report; or would like to speak with someone at the Vermont Community Foundation.