Meeting the Moment: Strengthening the Academic-to-Career Pipeline in Higher Ed

Higher education has always been a powerful engine of opportunity. It inspires minds, expands networks, and helps students grow in both confidence and capability. But the expectations surrounding higher ed are changing and fast. Students and families believe in the value of a college degree, but they’re also asking: Will it help me get where I want to go?

This moment isn’t a crisis, it’s a chance for growth. Colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to lead the way forward, and many already are. By embracing integrated career preparation and scalable student support, institutions can reaffirm their value and offer a way forward for students.

The New Student Mindset

Today’s learners are arriving on campus with clear goals and high expectations. They want their education to lead somewhere—to a job, a career path, a sense of momentum. More than half of incoming students say they expect career-focused courses in college¹, and many turn to professors for guidance, seeing them as trusted mentors. Yet, a fall 2023 survey² found 92% of faculty were approached by students for career advice, but only 50% feel comfortable giving it. 

This is a turning point. Students trust the institutions they choose, they’re just asking for more integrated, visible support that connects what they’re learning to where they’re headed next. By doing so, institutions can improve student readiness, support career development, and improve employability for graduates.

Bridging the Gap to the Workforce

• Today’s graduates are stepping into a labor market that’s both competitive and uncertain. Unemployment for recent grads has climbed to 5.8%, well above the national average, and entry-level hiring has dropped 23% since 2020.³ At the same time, 96% of employers say colleges need to take more responsibility for preparing students for the workforce.⁴ This isn’t a question of talent, but of alignment. Students are capable, driven, and ready to contribute, but many feel underprepared. By pairing academic learning with visible, skill-building resources, institutions can close the opportunity gap, improve licensure pass rates, and enhance ROI on higher education through stronger student workforce development initiatives.

What Institutions Are Already Doing Right

It’s important to name what’s working: colleges and universities are delivering meaningful learning. Students are gaining real skills, enriching experiences, and a broader sense of the world around them. The opportunity now is to translate that power into workplace readiness, without asking faculty to become career coaches, or expecting career centers to carry the entire load.

That’s why many institutions are rethinking where and how career preparation happens. Instead of treating it as a senior-year add-on, they’re exploring ways to make support available earlier and across disciplines. Expanding access to graduate, law, business, and medical education and supporting lifelong learning principles throughout the student journey.

Making Support Scalable

This shift doesn’t require reinventing the wheel, it’s about using a model that’s simple to implement and easy to maintain, yet delivers impact at scale. Career readiness shouldn’t be something students have to seek out. It should be accessible, visible, and seamlessly integrated into the broader student experience.

Kaplan’s All Access License^® helps institutions do just that. By providing study tools for licensure exams (NCLEX®, Praxis®, FE), professional credentialing (CFA® exam, SIE, FPQP®), skills development (critical thinking, cybersecurity, data literacy), and admissions prep (MCAT®, LSAT®, GMAT™), Kaplan’s All Access License supports students in building career-aligned skills and connecting their education to real-world outcomes.

It’s not an extra program, it’s a universal test prep and campus-wide resource that’s adaptable, scalable, and designed to improve recruitment/enrollment and student satisfaction.

Reaffirming the Value of the Degree

The path from college to career is not always linear, but it can be clearer. When institutions take steps to connect academic learning with long-term outcomes, they strengthen both their value proposition and their student impact.

This moment isn’t about defending higher education. It’s about demonstrating, through thoughtful, scalable strategies, that higher education remains one of the most meaningful investments a student can make. Learn how All Access License can support your student success strategy.