BOLD (Be Ohio's Latest Degree Holder) Compact

Education and training beyond high school matters today more than ever in order to prepare students to contribute to their communities, allow them to lead healthier and more productive lives, and strengthen the economy (Collecting against the future (policymattersohio.org). In today’s economy, higher education is increasingly important for those seeking jobs that pay a living wage. The Ohio Department of Higher Education set a goal that by 2025, 65% of Ohioans aged 25 to 64 will have a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary workforce credential of value. In 2017, 44.6% of Ohioans had attained this level of education (A Stronger Nation,” by the Lumina Foundation). Another Ohio initiative established a goal to increase the proportion of adults over age 25 enrolled in public higher education from the current rate of 27% to at least 40% by 2025 ( “Finish Your Future: Ohio’s Adult Learner Initiative).

It is estimated that there are currently 1.5M Ohioans with some college and no degree. These Ohioans decided to stop out of college for a multitude of reasons. As job demands increase across the State, attracting these Ohioans back to school to achieve a certification or degree is becoming increasingly important. There are several Ohio Colleges and Universities who are working to re-engage their stopped-out students and to determine the most effective and efficient way to attract these students back to college. In addition, the Ohio Department of Higher Education has developed two programs (Ohio Second Chance Grant and College Comeback) to encourage students to return to college. Based on the work of many Colleges and Universities across the country to attract stopped out students back into the classroom, many best practices are documented. Utilizing these best practices, the SOCHE Colleges and Universities have formed a Compact to bring students back to school and will utilize the following requirements/processes. Through this Compact, the SOCHE Colleges and Universities are committed to work together to encourage stopped out students to re-enroll.

The BOLD Compact is a one-time opportunity that is intended to help Ohio students, who may have an outstanding balance, to return to College and complete their program of study. Upon successful completion of the Student Responsibilities and BOLD Compact Requirements, previous student account balance (up to $5000) will be forgiven by the most recently attended College/University.