Here’s to National Higher Education Month and to the American Dream it still makes possible.

Modern States believes that access to higher education is an essential opportunity that all Americans deserve. A college degree is a catalyst of good jobs, economic mobility, and a life with more choices. Data have long shown this: higher education meaningfully changes lifetime outcomes. On average, bachelor’s degree holders earn about $2.8 million over a lifetime, which is roughly 75% more than workers with only a high school diploma (CEW Georgetown).

Despite growing skepticism of whether a college degree is still worth it, it likely will remain so. Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce projects that by 2031, 72% of U.S. jobs will require some form of postsecondary education or training, and 42% will require at least a bachelor’s degree. More essentially, 66% of “good jobs” – the types we want for our families and friends and neighbors, those that pay a family-sustaining wage – will require at least a bachelor’s degree in the years ahead (CEW Georgetown).

College is not without problems, notably the perception that it’s inaccessible and unaffordable. That belief is grounded in truth: after accounting for inflation, college tuition has doubled in the past generation (College Board).

That’s where Modern States comes in. We remove accessibility and cost as barriers by offering free, high-quality courses that prepare learners to earn real college credit through the widely recognized CLEP exams. Anyone willing to put in the effort can earn college credit at their own pace, save thousands of dollars on tuition, and step into college confident in their ability to earn a degree. And Modern States is not just for students getting ready to go to college: our largest group of learners is those already enrolled in college.

The American higher education system has been a key driver behind nearly a century of prosperity. Modern States builds on this system rather than seeking to replace it, helping ensure that anyone who sees a college degree as their next step can take it confidently and without incurring mountains of debt.

This month, celebrate higher education as an engine of opportunity. If you’re considering it as your next step, let us help you take it without debt, without delay, and with your goals at the center. The American Dream is still real. It just needs a modern on-ramp.