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Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 3035 Center Green Drive, Suite 200, Boulder, CO 80301 | Publication Number ECMC001pb26  \nLandscape Analysis of Completion Strategies Across the WICHE Region  \nT he WICHE region comprises 15 states  \nand the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States, each with its own context that shapes how it invests in and supports postsecondary student success. Although contexts vary across the region, there is a common thread: states are working to improve student completion through thoughtful, evidence-based approaches.1 Inan effort to better understand both how state context influences policymaking and identify common approaches to student success, WICHE launched a year-long landscape analysis of state higher education strategic plans. This initiative highlights the various ways states prioritize, develop, and implement completion strategies. Through the landscape analysis, WICHE identified four overarching approaches across the West:  \nAbout the Landscape Analysis  \nAs states across the region explore how to enhance the value proposition of higher education, it has become clear that credential completion is a critical component of delivering a valuable postsecondary experience. This WICHE Insights is part of a series of policy briefs that highlight various postsecondary completion strategies across the WICHE region. These briefs present findings from a landscape analysis of completion approaches in the West, which involved reviewing strategic plans and conducting focus groups with stakeholders across the region. The briefs include selected examples that demonstrate the variation in state approaches to implementing these strategies.  \nWICHE has developed a web  resource that features further details on the findings of this analysis, including briefs on the region’s four overarching approaches to improving completion outcomes, and an interactive online resource displaying state-level strategies. This work was generously funded by ECMC Foundation.  \n[arrow-pointer](arrow-pointer Visit wiche.edu/completion)[ Visit](arrow-pointer Visit wiche.edu/completion)[ ](arrow-pointer Visit wiche.edu/completion)[wiche.edu/completion](arrow-pointer Visit wiche.edu/completion)  \nfor more information.  \n 2  COMPLETION STRATEGIES IN THE WEST: KEY FINDINGS  \nEach of these strategies is discussed in more detail in a series of accompanying briefs, which highlight the ways in which states are developing and implementing completion approaches differently. In addition to the variety of completion strategies across the region, WICHE identified several other key themes related to the process and operationalization of strategic plans. This brief provides a meta-analysis ofWICHE’s document review and focus groups, with a specific emphasis on how state context and capacity influence planning and implementation.  \nmagnifying-glass Process and Analysis   \nThe initial phase of the landscape analysis involved reviewing higher education strategic plans. Since the goal was to identify state-level strategies across the region, the review included state-level plans and, in some cases, system-level plans (see the Appendix for the list of plans reviewed) . WICHE staff examined 26 publicly available plans and other materials, such as dashboards, supplementary reports, and documents, to identify the strategies in place across the region. This document review included plans released through October 2025.  \nThe second phase of the landscape analysis focused on stakeholder engagement. In June and July 2025, WICHE staff hosted a series of five focus groups on the categories of completion strategies identified in the document analysis. The purpose of these fo","cbCaiilT0pJNIO10","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiilT0pJNIO10","pdf",797693,13,"English","# About the Landscape Analysis\n# Process and Analysis\n## Document Review\n## Stakeholder Engagement\n# Key Themes Across the Region\n## Strategic Plan Structure\n# How Findings Are Compiled","[{\"question\":\"What sources does WICHE use to develop these key findings?\",\"answer\":\"WICHE synthesizes evidence from a review of higher education strategic plans (and related materials) and from stakeholder focus groups conducted in June and July 2025. The document review covers plans released through October 2025.\"},{\"question\":\"How many overarching completion approaches does WICHE identify across the West?\",\"answer\":\"WICHE identifies four overarching approaches across the WICHE region. These approaches are further explained in accompanying policy briefs.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does state context matter for completion strategy planning and implementation?\",\"answer\":\"The brief emphasizes that state context and institutional capacity influence how strategies are prioritized, developed, implemented, and measured. It highlights variation in plan structure, timing, and content across the region.\"}]","Completion Strategies in the West - Key Findings - WICHE Insights | PDF",1792064487,33]