College Re-Imagined Can a New Model Help Close Higher Education’s Equity Gap?

In 2014, Southern New Hampshire University and Boston-based Duet Education partnered to re-imagine the traditional college experience by combining fl exible, competency-based online courses with wraparound, in-person support and coaching. Using data on the fi rst 554 students to enroll in the program, we show that this “hybrid college” model has achieved graduation rates more than twice the Massachusetts state average, cut the cost of college in half, and eliminated race-based college completion disparities. While further research is needed, early evidence suggests that this new approach could have signifi cant implications for closing equity gaps in higher education, reducing college debt, and increasing economic mobility.