In a time when confidence in higher education is being tested like never before, one truth stands out: colleges and universities help students build a life—not just a living. From classrooms to dorms, dining halls to student clubs, higher education provides the rare opportunity for young adults from diverse backgrounds to live, learn, and work together as equals.

The 2025 Impact Report from College Presidents for Civic Preparedness captures how 125 institutions are rising to meet this moment. Many of these campuses have championed civic readiness for years—but in just two years of working together through the coalition, they’ve accelerated their efforts, now engaging more than 800,000 students across red, blue, and purple states.

Key Highlights:

Presidents are not waiting—they’re leading.
The coalition has grown from 15 to 125 institutions across 36 states in just two years, building a diverse, cross-sector network united by one goal: preparing every student for civic life.

Students are not retreating from hard conversations—they’re leading them.
Our students are not retreating from conflict. They are stepping into it with empathy, curiosity, and courage. Across 36 states, 800,000+ students are engaged in 200+ student-driven projects, putting civic skills into daily practice.

Faculty are not just teaching facts—they’re shaping citizens.
This year, 81 faculty from diverse disciplines across our network joined the Faculty Institute—an 18-month journey to embed civil discourse and civic development into their teaching. Their work shapes campus norms, student dialogue, and democratic engagement, both in and beyond the classroom. Faculty are showing that civic preparedness can be taught in any classroom, from biology labs to business case studies.

Civic preparedness is not a course—it’s a culture.
Changing campus culture requires more than one-off events with students who opt in. This year, 27 partner institutions worked with us to build campuswide impact strategies to support institutions in embedding civic preparedness into the full student experience.

This is higher education at its best—preparing students not only for work, but for life. Our vision remains clear: every student in America graduates not just with knowledge, but with the capacity, and the responsibility, to be an engaged citizen.

Read the full 2025 Impact Report to explore campus stories, metrics, and the inspiring work of students, faculty, and presidents driving civic preparedness nationwide.