Rising Expectations, Real Solutions: Why Institutions Turn to Kaplan’s All Access License

Expectations are advancing for colleges and universities to show results that extend beyond the classroom. With rising tuition and growing public skepticism, families are asking harder questions about value. Not just what students will study, but how that education will translate into employability. Institutions that can point to visible, scalable resources for career readiness send a clear message. They are investing in more than degrees, they are investing in graduates’ futures.

National surveys underscore this point. More than half of college seniors¹ report feeling pessimistic about starting their careers, citing a competitive job market and concerns about job security. At the same time, employers increasingly expect graduates to arrive with both degrees and demonstrable skills.² This dual pressure makes employability a core institutional responsibility. The question is no longer when students engage with resources like Kaplan’s All Access License^®, but why forward-thinking institutions choose to make them part of their strategy.

Why Institutions Prioritize Exam and Licensure Prep

For universities, licensure and admissions exam prep are not just student milestones, they are opportunities to demonstrate institutional quality. Graduation rates are a wonderful show of completion, but success is also measured by how effectively students transition into their next chapter, whether that’s graduate study, professional licensure, or another career path. Kaplan’s All Access License allows institutions to support those transition points and more: 

• Engineering seniors preparing for the FE exam before entering the workforce

• Nursing students aligning NCLEX^® prep with clinical readiness

• Pre-med students strengthening MCAT^® performance ahead of applications

• Education majors turning to the Praxis^® before student teaching

By supporting critical moments such as these, institutions reinforce their reputation for producing graduates who not only complete their degrees but also advance confidently into the next stage of training or employment.

Why Institutions Invest in Foundational Skills

Not every student begins with exam prep. Institutions are increasingly recognizing that career readiness starts earlier, by equipping underclassmen with transferable skills that improve both academic outcomes and long-term employability.

Common foundational course selections include:

• Data Literacy to strengthen quantitative reasoning across majors

• Math & Python Fundamentals for students exploring data or computer science

• Critical Thinking to improve classroom performance and prepare for future jobs

For institutions, these offerings give students a valuable head start. One that not only boosts early confidence but also reduces attrition, strengthens persistence, and builds momentum that carries through advanced coursework and into the job market with confidence.

Why Interest in Career Readiness Surges as Graduation Nears

As students approach graduation, their priorities change. Institutions see this as the moment when employability support becomes most visible to families and future employers. Many colleges are turning to microcredentials and professional skills training to help graduates stand out. Through Kaplan’s All Access License, institutions can offer courses and designations that give students that same competitive edge:

• Project Management Preparation—helps students build the skills and knowledge needed to pursue PMI certification independently after completing the course.

• Confident New Hire—builds practical workplace readiness and communication skills to ease the transition into the workforce.

• Wealth Management Specialist or FPQP^®— provides students preparing for finance careers with industry-recognized credentials that signal early professional credibility.

At this stage, institutions aren’t just preparing students for tests, they are positioning graduates with credentials that signal workforce readiness. Graduates leave not just with academic knowledge, but with credentials and skills that employers trust. 

Why Institutions Choose Kaplan

Across a degree program, student needs evolve, but institutional priorities stay consistent. Retention, employability, and reputation improve when students graduate with more than coursework alone. Kaplan’s All Access License gives institutions a scalable way to align resources with these outcomes, strengthening student confidence while reinforcing institutional value.

For colleges and universities, investing in this program is about more than filling gaps. It demonstrates a commitment to student readiness, meets accountability expectations from families, and builds a reputation for producing graduates who are unmistakably prepared for what comes next.

Connect with Kaplan to learn how this program can advance your institution’s goals.