Photo: James Bernal

At a time when colleges are increasingly focused on how to get and keep students enrolled and on a path to a degree, some of the most surprising challenges are not academic but logistical.

Something as simple as affordable, reliable transportation can mean the difference between a student finishing college or not.

Colleges should focus on partnerships, flexibility, and innovation if they hope to set students up for lifelong learning and employment post-graduation, says a recent report from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

The report's findings indicate that many students need the option to train for short-term job opportunities while earning credit for a longer-term degree. Others have skills from prior work experiences that the report argues should be recognized with college credit.

The University of California’s historic move to abandon standardized exams may not be the last of changes coming to the admissions process for the public university system.

College access advocates say other ways to make admissions more equitable include working more closely with K-12 schools to better understand their applicants and possibly guaranteeing admission to more students who meet certain criteria.