Higher Education Innovation
MCAN works with institutions across the state to strengthen and align Michigan’s higher education system, reduce barriers for students, and increase college attainment.
The items listed below are initiatives, grants, and other resources related to our higher education work. The colored bar indicates the department at MCAN that oversees that item. To learn more about MCAN’s work in this area, please see our Strategy for Higher Education Innovation.
Initiatives
Gateway Course Redesign Faculty Academy
The Gateway Course Redesign Faculty Academy is an 18-month, faculty-driven initiative designed to support colleges and universities in rethinking and restructuring key gateway courses at scale to improve student persistence and completion.
MI College Match
MCAN, in partnership with EAB's Match platform, is launching MI College Match, a statewide direct admission effort designed to help simplify college-going processes for Michigan students and expand opportunities for postsecondary enrollment.
College Completion Corps
MCAN’s College Completion Corps places AmeriCorps members on partner college campuses across Michigan. Each coach serves a campus-defined cohort of 100-150 students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or students of color.
Roadmap to Opportunity
Roadmap to Opportunity highlights in-demand, high-wage careers in Michigan through videos, printed collateral, and professional development for school counselors, college advisers, and other practitioners working directly with students.
Local College Access Networks
LCANs are community-based college access alliances supported by a team of community and education leaders representing K-12, higher education, the nonprofit sector, government, business, and philanthropy.
Advocacy and Alignment
Higher Education Strategy Council
The Higher Education Strategy Council, previously known as the Higher Education Advisory Board, is crafted with the overall vision and purpose of hosting stakeholders in support of MCAN’s mission and work affecting systems-change within all higher education institutions.
Michigan Postsecondary Organization Leadership Alliance
Michigan College Access Network is proud to convene the Michigan Postsecondary Organization Leadership Alliance, a collaborative initiative uniting leadership from several key state professional organizations.
Educated Workforce Advisory Board
The Educated Workforce Advisory Board is a new coalition with the ultimate purpose of elevating existing collaborations and building systemic connections among K-12, higher education, and the workforce system in support of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal.
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable
Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable (MIHEART) is an ongoing, cross-sector collaborative that seeks to promote, advocate for, and guide policy changes that will raise postsecondary attainment levels and improve Michigan’s talent pipeline.
Michigan Promise Zones Association
MCAN works closely with the Michigan Promise Zones Association by providing technical assistance and support to ensure that these "placed-based" scholarships are helping students pursue a postsecondary education.
Grants
Innovative Program Grants
Innovative Program Grants are designed to support innovative, data-informed programs and projects that increase college readiness, enrollment, and completion in communities across the state.
Resources
Aspire Higher: An Undocumented Student's Guide to College in Michigan
This guide is designed to help students and their families by providing resources available for undocumented students interested in pursuing education after high school, regardless of citizenship status.
College Affordability in Michigan (NCAN Snapshot)
This is a state of Michigan profile outlining key college affordability measures in Michigan. It incorporate state-specific data on the Pell Grant, FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and degree attainment.
ALICE Report from the United Way
Standing for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - ALICE represents those in our communities who are working yet still struggling to make ends meet. The ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of need in Michigan to date.
Free Tuition Programs for Low-Income Students
A list of free tuition programs for low-income students at 4-year colleges and universities in Michigan, including brief descriptions and links.
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW)
Reports and data developed by Georgetown University Center, focusing on education and the workforce.
MCAN Departmental Strategy Guides
Downloadable guides developed by MCAN's programmatic departments outlining our strategies for 2025-2027.
MI School Data
State of Michigan's official public portal for education data to help citizens, educators and policymakers make informed decisions that can lead to improved success for our students.
Michigan Achievement Scholarship
The Michigan Achievement Scholarship provides up to $4000 per year to qualifying Michigan students in the class of 2023 and beyond who attend an in-state college or university.
Michigan Certified FAFSA Specialists
This is a list of MCAN and uAspire Certified FAFSA Specialists who are dedicated to assisting you in supporting your students and families across various locations throughout the state. It's important to note that this list is continually updated and is NOT intended for direct use by students and families. Instead, it serves as a valuable resource for individuals supporting students who need additional capacity and expertise.
Michigan Institution Updates
This site features a list of all 84 public and private, 2-year and 4-year colleges in Michigan. You can find institution-specific information such as admissions and financial aid by navigating through the tabs at the top of the page.
Michigan Student Aid
Information on Michigan's financial aid offerings, including the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, Community College Guarantee, and Michigan Reconnect.
Stronger Nation: A Lumina Foundation Reporting Tool
Lumina Foundation tracks the post-high school educational attainment of Americans ages 25-64. Since 2008, that figure has increased by 10 percentage points in Michigan.
The Journal of College Access
A peer-reviewed, academic, open access, online journal with a focus on how students aspire to, gain access to, enroll in and persist in higher education institutions. The Journal is published periodically.
Press Releases
MCAN partners with EAB to launch statewide direct admission program
Michigan College Access Network is proud to announce MI College Match, a new partnership with education company EAB and Michigan higher education institutions to roll out a statewide, next-generation direct admission program.
Steelcase Foundation awards $160,000 grant to MCAN to boost college attainment in West Michigan
MCAN is proud to announce it has received a two-year, $160,000 grant from the Steelcase Foundation to fund the Kent County Attainment Accelerator, a place-based initiative designed to expand and strengthen college access and success efforts already underway across the region.
MCAN applauds continued commitment to education in fiscal year 2027 state budget
Earlier today, the Michigan legislature passed its fiscal year 2027 budget bills, which the governor is expected to sign. Michigan College Access Network is excited to see increased funding for K-12 and higher education, continuing vital investments in our students.
Blogs
Rewriting the Story of College Access: How Equitable Opportunities Change Trajectories
For students who have long faced systemic barriers, these ripple effects don’t happen by chance. They happen when systems are intentionally redesigned to expand opportunity — not restrict it.
From College Adviser to University Champion: Nick Booza on College Access, Community, and the Power of Connection
As MCAN celebrates 15 years of transforming college access in Michigan, we’re sharing stories from the front lines — the advisers, partners, and champions who’ve helped thousands of students navigate their path to higher education. Nick Booza, now assistant director for freshman recruitment at the University of Detroit Mercy, got his start as an AdviseMI college adviser. His story reminds us why this work matters and how its impact ripples far beyond individual students.
15 Years Forward: When Policy Meets Purpose | Michele Strasz
As director of the Capital Area College Access Network (CapCAN) and a leader at United Way South Central Michigan, Michele has spent her career at the intersection of community impact and public policy. As we reflect on 15 years of postsecondary progress through the lens of policy, Michele's story is exactly the one we want to tell.