Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced this week a new partnership between the Maryland Higher Education Commission and MDRC to bring the Expanding SUCCESS initiative to three Maryland community colleges. The initiative seeks to increase the number of Maryland students who earn a postsecondary degree through coaching, financial support, and other evidence-based student success strategies. The higher education institutions that will take part in the initiative are Baltimore City Community College, Prince George’s Community College, and Wor-Wic Community College.

Expanding SUCCESS builds on MDRC’s Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS), a project started in 2019 that has partnered with 13 colleges in five states and their state higher education agencies to develop and implement financially sustainable student support programs for students from low-income families. SUCCCESS programs are built around elements derived from nearly two decades of postsecondary research conducted by MDRC and others.

Both the Maryland Higher Education Commission and MDRC will provide support and training to the participating colleges to implement SUCCESS and use data to continuously improve the program and support student success.

"Our administration is committed to supporting all Marylanders, no matter their path and no matter their background," said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. "By moving in partnership with leaders inside and outside of government, we will help ensure that students who choose to pursue a college degree have the tools they need to succeed. Together, we are building a Maryland where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and achieve."

“The Maryland Higher Education Commission is excited about this opportunity to support Maryland students through evidence-based advising models,” said Maryland Higher Education Commission Secretary Dr. Sanjay Rai. “Having access to regular, targeted advising can help provide the support students need to successfully complete their program of study. As MHEC considers new post-2025 college completion goals for Maryland, advising initiatives like the SUCCESS model will be imperative to meet those goals.”

“One of the most important public policy challenges of our time is to make the promise of postsecondary education real by supporting students to complete their degrees,” said MDRC President Virginia Knox. “We are thrilled to partner with Maryland to implement a promising student support program to help students achieve their potential.”