NASH and National Student Clearinghouse Partner for Groundbreaking Academic and Labor Market Analytics

New pilot connects postsecondary and workforce data to help systems align programs with labor market outcomes and improve student mobility

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) today announced an expansion of the ongoing partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse) to pilot a first-of-its-kind approach in linking academic and labor market data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This initiative builds on a longstanding collaboration between NASH and the Clearinghouse to identify and address public higher education systems’ most pressing data needs, reflecting a shared commitment to improving student success through data-driven insights. This innovative data infrastructure will help systems to better understand workforce outcomes and strengthen student social and economic mobility.

Since 2021, NASH has worked with member systems through a multi-phase initiative to collaboratively develop system-level metrics focused on three critical dimensions of student success: degree and credential completion, social mobility, and reducing student debt. This effort revealed a critical data infrastructure gap for systems — the lack of integrated insight connecting academic pathways to labor market outcomes.

This expanded partnership directly addresses that gap. By joining postsecondary enrollment and completion data with labor market information, NASH and the Clearinghouse are creating a foundation for more actionable, system-level insights that support program alignment, advising, transfer pathways, and workforce relevance.

With support from ECMC Foundation, NASH and the Clearinghouse will develop for a limited number of pilot schools:

-Datasets that connect academic and labor market outcomes
-Visualizations that surface trends over time at the local, state, and national levels
-Resources to support system- and campus-level leaders in interpreting and applying insights

“Public higher education systems need to be able to demonstrate how academic pathways translate into real economic opportunity for students,” said Nancy Zimpher, President of NASH. “By connecting academic and workforce data at scale, this partnership aims to give systems the insight they need to strengthen pathways, improve outcomes, and advance economic mobility. At its core, this is systemness in action, building shared infrastructure that no single institution could develop alone.”

“This partnership reflects the Clearinghouse’s commitment to turning trusted data into actionable insight,” said Anne Green, the Vice President of Philanthropy Strategy and Research at the National Student Clearinghouse. “By linking enrollment and completion data with labor market information, we’re giving higher education systems new tools to understand outcomes at scale, identify gaps, and make more informed decisions that support student mobility and long-term economic success.”

The pilot phase of the initiative will include select institutions within the Louisiana Board of Regents, working with both the Louisiana State University System and the Southern University System, and will lay the groundwork for scalable tools that can be expanded across NASH member systems nationwide.

“This NASH–Clearinghouse pilot directly supports Louisiana’s Master Plan by strengthening workforce development through data-driven insights, connecting education to real labor market outcomes,” said Tristan Denley, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation at the Louisiana Board of Regents. “By identifying credentials of value and aligning academic pathways with regional workforce needs, we are building a stronger talent pipeline that prepares students for high-demand careers across our state. This innovative approach ensures that our institutions are responsive to Louisiana’s economy so that students succeed, employers thrive, and Louisiana prospers.”

The initial phase will also include direct user testing and feedback from participating systems to inform future opportunities to scale these insights and integrate them into broader system-level analytics.

By creating a foundation for a more robust data infrastructure around labor market outcomes, this initiative aims to empower systems and institutions to make informed decisions about academic program alignment, advising, and transfer pathways, and drive improvement in student social and economic mobility.

About NASH
Founded in 1979, the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) works to advance the role of multi-campus systems and the concept of systemness to create a more vibrant and sustainable higher education sector. NASH represents the 110 public higher education systems in the U.S., which include more than 1,450 institutions and serve 16.2 million students nationwide. Learn more at www.nash.edu.

Tracy Soren
NASH
+1 347-201-0432
press@nash.edu
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