Report: Number of Georgians with college degrees increases slightly

A national report out Tuesday shows that the number of Georgians with a college degree has slightly improved.

In the report by the Lumina Foundation, “A Stronger Nation through Higher Education,” Georgia ranked 31st in college attainment nationally based on 2012 data, the most recent available. Within the state, 37.4 percent of adults, ages 25 to 64, hold a degree from a two- or four-year college.

Georgia’s ranking improved from 33rd in 2011, when 36.4 percent of adults were found to have college degrees. In 2008, the state’s attainment rate was 36.2 percent.

“Georgia is moving in a good direction, but state leaders must build on this momentum if they intend to meet Georgia’s future workforce needs,” said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina’s president and CEO.

Along with the state’s improvements, the report also found that some minority groups in Georgia, notably African-Americans and Hispanics, continue to lag behind in degree attainment.

Georgia is currently working to close the gap and increase the number of college graduates in the state by 250,000 by 2020. Last week, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to cut the cost of some online classes in efforts to reach nontraditional students and residents without degrees.

The “Stronger Nation” report measures progress toward Lumina’s Goal 2025, a national effort to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025.