The University of Massachusetts has been invited to join the University Innovation Alliance, a multi-university collaborative working to improve student success and broaden participation in higher education for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background. UMass Amherst is one of 17 campuses in the alliance, and one of only seven universities invited to join since 2021.

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The University Innovation Alliance (UIA), recently received $2.9 million in funding from philanthropic partners to support the next phase of its mission to increase the number and diversity of college graduates in the U.S. 

“Over the past decade, the UIA has been able to serve tens of thousands of students across the country, by working alongside each other to find, test and scale the innovations that help students succeed,” said Bridget Burns, founding CEO of the UIA. “We’re excited to expand our reach, and our learnings, with the addition of seven institutions who share our deep commitment to holding ourselves accountable to the students we serve.” 

Following a rigorous review process vetting all large public R1 and R2 universities across the American higher education system, the UIA welcomed UMass to the consortium, joining other new members: the University of Buffalo, University of New Mexico, University of Utah, University of Colorado Denver, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Illinois Chicago.

The 17 institutions in the UIA now combine to serve nearly 630,000 enrolled undergraduates, including about 185,000 Pell-grant recipients – who comprise nearly 8% of Pell-grant recipients in the four-year public sector of schools. The alliance has helped to increase the number of graduates completing their degrees across the institutions by 27%, as well as graduates of color by 89% and low-income graduates by 41%. 

For more information, visit www.theUIA.org.