University Partner Portfolio
Public and historically Black universities across nine states and the District, each one staffed with a DC CAP Success Coach.
DC CAP partners with thirteen universities, and it chooses them deliberately. Each one earns its place by enrolling first-generation, low-income students and graduating them into strong outcomes. Three sit in Washington, DC; three are historically Black institutions; nine are public and four are private. Each hosts a dedicated Success Coach on campus and works with DC CAP through a standing agreement. American University, signed in 2026, is the newest addition and enrolls its first DC CAP scholars in fall 2027.
The profiles below describe the institutions themselves: their graduation rates, costs, earnings, and student bodies, drawn from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS. They report what each campus does for its full student body. DC CAP tracks its own scholar outcomes separately.
DC CAP selects partners on a clear test: enroll first-generation, low-income students, and graduate them into strong outcomes. Alabama A&M, Trinity, and Florida A&M lead on access, enrolling the largest shares of Pell-eligible students. Catholic University and American post the portfolio's highest graduation rates, and American, George Mason, and Catholic lead on earnings ten years after enrollment. The strongest partners do both. A DC CAP scholar can choose a campus eight miles from home or one built around a specific field, and land at an institution that finishes what it starts.
The numbers on this page measure institutions. They report what each campus does for every student it enrolls. DC CAP scholars arrive at these campuses with scholarship dollars, a Success Coach on site, and wraparound support behind them.
The thirteen partners graduate students at a six-year average of 59.1 percent. For context, the national average is 53.5 percent for four-year public universities and 60.2 percent for four-year private nonprofits. These are access-oriented universities that graduate their students at rates above the national public average.
DC CAP is localizing this network deliberately. Six of the thirteen partners sit in the DC region and three in the District itself. Nearby campuses let Success Coaches visit often, respond quickly, and build deeper working relationships with partner staff, and they let DC CAP extend its community-building beyond the campus edge. Scholars have told us the same thing in their choices: many prefer to enroll close to home, and the portfolio honors that preference. Staying in the region also means a scholar graduates with a network already rooted in the mid-Atlantic labor market, prepared to compete where most will build their careers. American University, signed in 2026, is the newest move in that direction: a high-completion university inside the District, enrolling its first DC CAP scholars in fall 2027.
Pick a metric and read all thirteen partners at once. The gold line marks the national figure for four-year institutions.
Filter the portfolio, open any partner for a full profile, or select two to four to compare side by side.
Every figure on this page comes from public federal sources and describes the institution, not DC CAP's scholars.
Graduation rate is the six-year rate for first-time, full-time students. Pell share is the percentage of undergraduates receiving a federal Pell Grant, a standard measure of how many lower-income students an institution enrolls. Earnings are measured ten years after a student first enrolls, not ten years after graduation, and include students who did not finish.
If you advise DC students choosing among these universities, or you want to understand how DC CAP builds its portfolio, reach out. We share what the data shows and how we read it.
Learn about DC CAP