Social and Economic Mobility

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY

CUMU is committed to the belief that higher education should be a powerful driver of social and economic mobility. Our member institutions—deeply rooted in the communities they serve—work every day to expand access, support student success, and close opportunity gaps.

Resources from CUMU programming

Building a social mobility university and its impact on the region

Panel discussion at the 2025 Social Mobility Symposium hosted by California State University San Marcos

As CUMU institutions, we have a unique and significant role to play in serving diverse students and helping them succeed.

Updates on the Student Access and Earnings Carnegie Classification

Mushtaq Gunja and Sara Gast, American Council on Education (ACE)

The Carnegie Classifications are a system for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions based on size, purpose, research activity, and focus. In 2025, the American Council on Education (ACE), the organization that administers the Carnegie Classifications, released major updates to the classifications and their methodology. Included in these updates was a new classification, Student Access and Earnings, with a new designation: Opportunity Campuses. An opportunity campus is a higher education institution that affords high levels of access to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and where students go on to high income levels post-graduation. Approximately 20% of CUMU members are considered Opportunity Campuses.

Resource published in Metropolitan Universities journal

Championing social mobility

Ellen Neufeldt

CUMU member campuses designated as Opportunity Campuses

Institutions rated high access, high earning on the Student Access and Earnings Carnegie Classification earn the designation of an opportunity campus. We are proud to have 21 CUMU member campuses on the inaugural list.