​Who Are We?
#DegreesNYC is a data-informed collective impact movement, co-led by young people and education professionals, working to expand access to education across New York City. We strive to close NYC’s postsecondary attainment gaps by aligning college and career initiatives around a shared vision with clear, measurable goals. Through this collective effort, we aim to significantly increase the number of young adults who complete higher education and transition into living-wage careers in NYC. ​
#DegreeNYC is supported by Goddard Riverside.​​
Why?
For every 100 students who enroll in 9th grade in New York City, only an average of 28 earn a college degree (as of 2022).*
College readiness, college enrollment, and degree attainment rates for Black and Hispanic youth are substantially lower than their White peers or the NYC average. City-wide, 68.7% of White adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 30.8% of their Black and 24.2% of their Hispanic counterparts (as of 2024).**
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Additionally, postsecondary outcomes for low-income youth lag way behind their upper-income peers. Nationally, the bachelor’s degree attainment rate for higher-income young people is almost four times that of low-income youths (as of 2022).***
One in five young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 are neither in school nor employed (as of 2021).****
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In 2022, 4-year college graduates earned, on average, 35% more than those with only an associate's degree. Individuals with an associate's degree made 18% more than those with only a high school degree. Last, those who received a high school diploma made 18% more than those without a high school diploma.*****
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A 21st-century economy requires additional education after high school. While progress has been made in recent years, significant obstacles to education attainment remain.​
Our Goal
By 2030, 60% of all New Yorkers will have a quality postsecondary credential.*
*These certificates include enrolling in and graduating from a two- or four-year college, a vocational program, or a public service program, such as City Year.
Why Now?
Now, more than ever, we recognize why we do this very important work.
Amid the current political landscape, we see so clearly the importance of our fight for all New Yorkers to receive a quality education which allows them to access the opportunities they desire and deserve.
We face major obstacles, including the federal government's threat to dissolve the Department of Education; the reversal of President Biden's decision to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers; and the pull-back of funding for quality, unbiased research initiatives. However, New York State is pushing back through programs such as NY Inspires, which supports the development of a more holistic, student-centered education system. At the City-level, programs such as NYC Reads and NYC Solves use research-backed strategies to close learning gaps among struggling and advanced students.
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This moment challenges us to rise up and face it.
We must ensure that progress to support the educational attainment of all New Yorkers is not just preserved, but accelerated. In alignment with New York State and City, we must continue to advocate for all students to have the right to a quality education, because every young person deserve the chance to succeed.
*Data collected from the #DegreesNYC Data Dashboard.
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**Neches, Rachel, Eric Raimondi, Jonathan Bowles, and Eli Dvorkin. Closing NYC’s College Attainment Gap. Center for an Urban Future, 2024. https://nycfuture.org/research/closing-nycs-college-attainment-gap.
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***Cahalan, Margaret W., Nicole Brunt, Terry Vaughan III, Erick Montenegro, Stephanie Breen, Esosa Ruffin, & Laura W. Perna. Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States 2024: 50-Year Historical Trend Report. The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn AHEAD), 2024.
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****JobsFirstNYC. Reversing Nearly a Decade of Positive Trends: The Lingering Impact of the Pandemic on Young Adults Who Are Out of School and Out of Work in New York City, 2023. https://jobsfirstnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/JFNYC_DataBrief_230831_bleed.pdf.
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*****Institute of Education Sciences. Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment. 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings. ​