The Institute for College Access & Success

What The Institute for College Access & Success does

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization working to make higher education more affordable and equitable in the United States. It conducts and publishes research on student debt, tuition, and financial aid, and uses that research to advocate for state and federal policy reforms aimed at reducing cost barriers for students and borrowers.

TICAS operates a multi-state footprint anchored by an Oakland, California headquarters and a Washington, D.C. policy office, with additional state presence in New York and Michigan. Its business model is grant- and donation-funded nonprofit operation; it does not sell a technology product or commercial service. Activities include producing reports, convening coalitions such as Californians for College Affordability, partnering with evaluation organizations (MDRC, the Wilson Sheehan Lab at Notre Dame) on research initiatives including a Rural Reconnect effort, and engaging directly with agencies such as the California Student Aid Commission and federal policymakers. Recent work includes a 2025 borrower survey conducted in partnership with Data for Progress.

The organization is small (11–50 employees) and concentrates its capabilities in policy analysis, advocacy, and coalition management rather than technology development. There is no public indication of proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or commercial product revenue; financial scale is undisclosed beyond headcount signals.

Name

The Institute for College Access & Success

Legal name

The Institute for College Access & Success

Website

https://ticas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for College Access & Success is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization that conducts research and builds coalitions to make U.S. higher education more affordable and equitable for students and borrowers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

Keywords

• Higher education policy
• Student debt advocacy
• College affordability research
• Education access advocacy
• Policy research nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TICAS is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization that conducts research on higher education affordability, student debt, and college completion, and translates that research into policy recommendations and advocacy directed at federal and state policymakers. It also publishes free information resources for student loan borrowers and the public, and convenes coalitions and research partnerships to advance evidence-based higher education policy.

Product overview

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer a unified software product. Instead, TICAS provides a portfolio of research programs, policy tools, and advocacy resources focused on higher education affordability, accountability, and completion. Key offerings include the Breaking (F)Ed federal policy tracker, borrower resources for student loan navigation, the Comprehensive Approaches to Student Success (CASS) framework for evidence-based student support, and the Rural Reconnect Initiative for rural student completion. TICAS also conducts state-level policy work in California, Michigan, and New York, alongside research initiatives on student debt and financial aid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project on Student Debt: A TICAS project focused on research and advocacy regarding student loan debt issues
• Breaking (F)Ed
• Californians for College Affordability
• Comprehensive Approaches to Student Success (CASS)
• Rural Reconnect Initiative (RRI)

Products and services

• Breaking (F)Ed Federal Policy Tracker
• Resources for Student Loan Borrowers
• Comprehensive Approaches to Student Success (CASS)
• Rural Reconnect Initiative (RRI)
• California Policy Program
• Michigan Policy Program State-level policy advocacy in Michigan focused on access, affordability, and student success in higher education, with attention to non-tuition cost assistance and rural student support.
• New York Policy Program State-level policy advocacy in New York focused on the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), affordability, and equitable access, with emphasis on independent students and TAP inequities.
• Project on Student Debt

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% of surveyed borrowers report making tradeoffs between loan payments and basic needs
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Data for ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025TICAS commissioned Data for Progress to conduct a survey of federal student loan borrowers in 2025, which found that 42% of borrowers report difficulty covering basic needs due to loan payments. This partnership provides critical data for policy advocacy.
• MDRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTICAS partners with MDRC on the Comprehensive Approaches to Student Success (CASS) initiative and the Rural Reconnect Initiative. MDRC serves as a research partner for convenings and evidence-based program development.
• Californians for College AffordabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTICAS serves as convener of the Californians for College Affordability coalition, which advocates for higher education affordability policies in California.
• Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTICAS partners with LEO alongside MDRC on the CASS Community of Practice, working with evidence-based college completion organizations to create research agendas and equity frameworks.
• California Student Aid CommissionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTICAS works with the California Student Aid Commission on Cal Grant program administration and workforce Pell implementation in California.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP): A nonprofit research and policy organization focused on postsecondary access, affordability, and completion. Closely comparable to TICAS given overlapping higher-education policy research, federal Pell/loan-reform advocacy, and similar mission scope.
• The Education Trust: A nonprofit advocacy organization promoting high academic achievement for students of color and low-income students from pre-K through college. Directly comparable to TICAS on equity-focused higher education policy research and advocacy.
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): A national nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people, with substantial work on higher education access, affordability, and student debt. Comparable mission, research-and-advocacy model, and federal/state policy engagement.
• National Consumer Law Center (NCLC): A nonprofit focused on consumer protection for low-income Americans, with active work on student loan borrower rights, servicing abuses, and repayment reform. Comparable on the borrower-protection and federal student-loan advocacy dimension of TICAS.
• Young Invincibles: A nonprofit advocacy organization focused on issues affecting young adults, including student loan debt, higher education affordability, and financial aid reform. Directly comparable to TICAS in target constituency and student-loan advocacy focus.
• UnidosUS: A large Latino civil rights and advocacy organization with significant higher education access and affordability programming. Comparable to TICAS's equity-focused, multi-state higher-ed policy and outreach model.
• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): A national nonprofit working to increase postsecondary access, persistence, and completion for underrepresented students. Comparable mission, federal/state policy advocacy, and multi-state practitioner network to TICAS.

Broad incumbents

• New America: A large think tank with an extensive education policy program covering higher education affordability, federal financial aid, and student debt. Broader and larger than TICAS but highly comparable in policy research output.
• Center for American Progress (CAP): A major progressive policy institute with substantial higher-education and student-debt policy work. Larger and broader than TICAS but highly comparable on federal higher-ed reform research and advocacy.

Others

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA): A membership association for financial aid administrators that conducts research and federal advocacy on Pell Grants, federal loans, and IDR. Operates in the same policy domain as TICAS but from the institutional side rather than the borrower-advocacy side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/15618662356
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/128389
• Instagraminstagram.com/ticas_org
• Xx.com/ticas_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Institute for College Access & Success