Report on Best Practices and Annual Progress Toward the 55% Completion Goal

Oct 15, 2026

Maryland Higher Education Commission reports on 13 years of progress toward the state goal that at least 55% of Maryland residents ages 25–64 hold at least one degree credential by 2025. In the final reporting year, the degree attainment rate reaches 52.5%, 2.5 points below target, despite institutions producing over 60,000 additional degrees beyond the production goal. The report also documents improvements since 2013 and highlights remaining racial and ethnic disparities and next steps for the 2026 Maryland State Plan for Higher Education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages173

Reading Time7 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

State and Institutional Goals and Targets

What is degree or educational attainment?

What Maryland’s 2025 educational attainment goal?

What were the components of the 2025 goal established by the State?

Report on Best Practices and Annual Progress Toward the 55% Completion Goal February 2026 Wes Moore Governor Aruna Miller Lt. Governor Sanjay Rai, Ph. D. Secretary MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION 217 E. Redwood Street 􀁥 21st Floor 􀁥 Baltimore, MD 21202 [www.mhec.maryland.gov](www.mhec.maryland.gov) Report on Best Practices and Annual Progress Toward the 55% Completion Goal Executive Summary Over the last 13 years, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has reported on progress toward the state’s goal to have at least 55% of Maryland’s residents ages 25 to 64 holding at least one degree credential by 2025. The stated goal allowed the state and its institutions to progress in two, related pathways: 1) increasing the number of degrees produced by Maryland’s colleges and universities (completion/production goals) and 2) increasing the number of educated Maryland residents. In this final year of reporting, the state’s degree attainment rate is 52.5%, which is 2.5 percentage points below the goal set. Despite falling short of the goal, Maryland’s colleges and universities exceeded their degree production goal by over 60,000 degrees (779,240 produced versus a goal of 718,209 degrees) . These institutional trends are commendable in light of the changes in college enrollments over time at Maryland colleges and universities. From 2013 to 2022, undergraduate enrollment, overall, decreased over 10% or around 30,000 students, yet institutions succeeded in consistently producing degree earners each year. While the state did not reach its intended goal, it is notable the progress the state has made since the establishment of the goal. At the time the law was established (2013), 46 percent of Maryland adults ages 25 to 64 held an undergraduate degree; the state has seen a 6.5 percentage point increase and is recognized nationally as one of the most highly educated states in the US. Maryland faced challenges ensuring equitable racial and ethnic outcomes for its diverse citizenry; there were racial and ethnic disparities in obtaining 55% degree attainment within a specific population. The data show progress has been made in degree attainment for all racial and ethnic groups but only white and Asian populations have exceeded the 55% goal. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is currently drafting the next iteration of the Maryland State Plan for Higher Education, due to the Maryland General Assembly July 1, 2026. As required by law, the State Plan for Higher Education is expected to detail "the long–range and short–range objectives and priorities for postsecondary education and methods and guidelines for achieving and maintaining them." New statewide goals will be detailed in the forthcoming Maryland State Plan for Higher Education. Introduction Over the last 13 years, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has reported on progress toward the state’s goal to have at least 55% of Maryland’s residents ages 25 to 64 holding at least one degree credential by 2025. This reporting year, 2025, will be the Commission’s final report on the progress toward the statewide goal. This final report aims to do the following • Summarize the successes and challenges institutions and the state have had in the progress toward the 55% goal; • Provide details and data on the degree production and degree attainment goals; and • Provide a summary of institutional reports submitted to MHEC, which include reflections of successes and challenges institutions had in their efforts to support the 55% attainment goal. There are several sources of administrative and statewide data used for this report. First and foremost, statewide educational attainment and population data come from the United States Census Bureau and Maryland’s Department of Planning. The degree counts that inform the model are taken from the 2025 Degree Information Systems (DIS) filei. The data provided in this report, as well as

FAQs

What is Maryland’s 55% degree attainment goal for 2025?

The goal requires at least 55% of Maryland adults ages 25 to 64 to hold at least an associate’s degree by 2025.

How did Maryland perform in the final year of reporting?

The statewide degree attainment rate was 52.5%, which is 2.5 percentage points below the goal. However, Maryland institutions exceeded degree production targets by over 60,000 degrees.

What challenges and disparities does the report highlight?

The report notes challenges in achieving equitable racial and ethnic outcomes. Progress occurred for all groups, but only white and Asian populations exceeded the 55% goal.

Oct 15, 2026

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