The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to promoting access to and success in higher education for all students. Based in Washington, D.C., IHEP develops innovative policy- and practice-oriented research to guide policymakers and education leaders who develop high-impact policies that will address their nation’s most pressing education challenges.
In 1993, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) was established to provide policy-relevant research to promote college access and success for underserved students. The genesis of the organization grew out of a desire to explore questions of access to postsecondary education from an independent perspective, building on the previous experience of founders Jamie P. Merisotis and Colleen T. O’Brien at The National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education.
At that time, IHEP’s agenda was groundbreaking and transformative. Since then, IHEP has become one of the most effective voices for educating policymakers and postsecondary leaders on strategies for and solutions to the nation’s most pressing education challenges. IHEP has leveraged its research, policy expertise, innovative initiatives, and high-profile convenings to improve the condition of access and success for all college students. IHEP has partnered with close to 400 postsecondary institutions to foster and support on-the-ground efforts to increase student success. IHEP has also collaborated with many organizations inside and outside higher education to build broad-based support for work on behalf of underserved students.
IHEP has led the field in identifying the access and success challenges facing the nation and offering innovative policy solutions for federal, state, and institutional decision-makers positioned to enact change. The contributions to the postsecondary community are significant, and they proudly acknowledge the imprint on issues of college access and success.
For more than 20 years, IHEP has been a leading voice championing college access and success. Their staff includes some of the most respected professionals in the fields of public policy and research. IHEP is committed to equality of opportunity for all and helps low-income, minority, and other historically underrepresented populations gain access to and achieve success in higher education. This focus is the major driver of their four policy priorities:
Their Mission
IHEP is committed to improving college access and success in higher education for all students—with a special focus on underserved populations—by providing timely research to inform public policy decisions.
What They Believe
IHEP embraces a vision in which all people, regardless of background or circumstance, have the opportunity to reach their full potential by participating and succeeding in higher education.
To fully achieve this vision, the postsecondary community, as a whole, must do more to meet the needs of students who are underserved by the educational system. Institutional leaders and policymakers at all levels must become engaged and must support efforts to dramatically enhance the quality of the postsecondary experience in ways that are relevant to the demands of the 21st century. Only with policies that open doors and stimulate innovation in quality education can they effectively address the needs of all 21st-century students—a growing percentage of whom are low income, students of color, and adults—pursuing new career pathways.
IHEP intends to push the postsecondary community to do more than tinker at the margins. They seek real change. Ultimately, IHEP's aim is to offer underrepresented students a real chance to access a quality, affordable education that not only transforms their lives, but also strengthens the fabric of society.
