Individualized Advising and Mentorship: Postsecondary Completion Strategy Spotlight
Postsecondary Completion Playbook: Strategy Spotlight
Overview
Postsecondary completion is a key gateway to opportunity. Enrollment opens the door, but finishing the path — whether through a two- or four-year degree, career and technical education, or an apprenticeship — is what unlocks economic mobility and long-term stability. Communities can make a difference by ensuring students have strong support networks, access to financial aid and pathways that lead to meaningful careers.
Getting into college is only half the battle. Staying enrolled and finishing is where many students face the greatest challenges. In Oakland, Oakland Promise has distributed more than $19.5 million in scholarships and persistence supports since 2016, helping students cover not just tuition but essentials like housing and transportation that often determine whether they can stay enrolled. Paired with personalized advising through Beyond 12 coaches and peer mentorship through the CREWS program, scholars maintain an 87% first-to-second-year persistence rate. In 2024-2025, the program supported over 2,500 scholars. When students have the right financial support and the right relationships, they are more likely to finish.
Playbook ChaptersPostsecondary Completion Playbook
Download the playbook