Professional Biography
Laura W. Perna is the University of Pennsylvania's Vice Provost for Faculty and the GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education at Penn GSE. Dr. Perna also serves as Executive Director of Penn's Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (Penn AHEAD). She is past chair of Penn’s faculty senate and has served as faculty fellow of the Institute for Urban Research, faculty affiliate of the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, and member of the advisory board for the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. She holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and earned her master’s in public policy and Ph.D. in education from the University of Michigan.
She has held leadership positions in the primary national scholarly associations in the field of higher education administration. Dr. Perna served as President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) from 2014 to 2015 and Vice President of the American Educational Research Association’s Division J (Postsecondary Education) from 2010 to 2013 and now is a member of the AERA Grants Governing Board. She has served on the editorial boards of leading journals including American Education Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Research in Higher Education, and AERA Open. She is now serving as editor of Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Postsecondary Network Policy Institute (PNPI).
Among other honors, Dr. Perna has received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching from the University of Pennsylvania, Early Career Achievement Award from ASHE, Excellence in Public Policy in Higher Education Award from ASHE’s Council on Public Policy and Higher Education, the Dr. Constance Clayton Education Award from the Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable, and the Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. In 2014, Dr. Perna was named a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, a Penn Fellow, and the inaugural James S. Riepe Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Dr. Perna was elected to the National Academy of Education. In 2021, Dr. Perna was an inaugural recipient of the University of Michigan School of Education's Distinguished Alumni Award.
- Ph.D. (Education) University of Michigan
- M.P.P. (Policy Studies) University of Michigan
- B.A. (Psychology) University of Pennsylvania
- B.S. (Economics) The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- College access & affordability
- College Promise
- State and federal funding
Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr. Perna’s research examines the ways that social structures, educational practices, and public policies promote and limit college access and success, particularly for groups that continue to be underrepresented in higher education. Her scholarship is published in a variety of outlets, including books, journal articles, and policy reports. Recent books include Taking It to the Streets: The Role of Scholarship in Advocacy and Advocacy in Scholarship (2018, Johns Hopkins University Press), The Attainment Agenda: State Policy Leadership for Higher Education (with Joni Finney, 2014, Johns Hopkins University Press), and The State of College Access and Completion: Improving College Success for Students from Underrepresented Groups (with Anthony Jones, 2013).
Her research has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Atlantic, Education Week, and the Huffington Post, as well as on National Public Radio programs and Huffington Post Live. She has offered recommendations based on her research to federal policymakers through invited testimony to the U.S. Senate’s Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, Committee on Education and the Workforce, United States House of Representatives. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, Lumina Foundation, and other organizations.
Dr. Perna’s current projects focus on improving equity in higher education in the United States (in collaboration with The Pell Institute and funded by Lumina and Gates Foundations) and advancing knowledge of College Promise programs.
Selected Publications

Taking It to the Streets: The Role of Scholarship in Advocacy and Advocacy in Scholarship
- Laura W. Perna
Johns Hopkins University Press

Improving research-based knowledge of College Promise programs
- Laura W. Perna
American Educational Research Association

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research
- Laura W. Perna
Springer

The State of College Access and Completion
- Laura W. Perna
Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group

Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs in Metropolitan America
- Laura W. Perna
University of Pennsylvania Press
Perna, L. W. (Ed., 2021). Higher education: Handbook of theory and research, Vol. 36. Springer.
Perna, L. W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. (2021). Will college promise programs improve or reduce equity? Understanding the contextual conditions that influence implementation. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(6). This article is part of the special issue, Policy Implementation as an Instrument to Achieve Educational Equity in the Community College Context, guest edited by Eric R. Felix, H. Kenny Nienhusser, Ángel Gonzalez, Luz Burgos-López.
Cahalan, M., Perna, L. W., Addison, M., Murray, C., Patel, P. & Jiang, N. (2020, May). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States: 2020 historic trend report. The Pell Institute of the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy.
Perna, L. W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. W. (2020). Is a college promise program an effective use of resources? Understanding the implications of program design and resource investments for equity and efficiency. AERA Open.
Perna, L. W., & Smith, E. (Eds.). (2020). Improving research-based knowledge of College Promise programs. American Educational Research Association.
Perna, L. W., & Odle, T. K. (2020). Recognizing the reality of working college students. Academe, 106(1).
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., & Kent, D. (2019). The role of educational research in Congressional hearings. American Education Research Journal, 56, 111–145.
Perna, L. W. (Ed., 2018). Taking it to the streets: The role of scholarship in advocacy and advocacy in scholarship. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Perna, L. W., & Leigh, E. (2018). Understanding the promise: A typology of state and local college promise programs. Educational Researcher, 47, 155–180.
Perna, L. W., Leigh, E., & Carroll, S. (2017). “Free college:” A new and improved state approach to increasing educational attainment? American Behavioral Scientist, 61, 1740–1757.
Perna, L. W., & Hillman, N. (Eds., 2017). Understanding student debt: Who borrows, the consequences of borrowing, and the implications for federal policy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 671.
Cahalan, M., Perna, L. W., Yamashita, M., Wright, J., & Santillan, S. (2018). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States—2018 historical trend report. The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), and Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD).
Perna, L. W., & Ruiz, R. (2016). Technology: The solution to higher education’s pressing problems? In P. Altbach, P. Gumport, & M. Bastedo (eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first century (pp. 432–461). Johns Hopkins University Press.
Perna, L. W. (2016). Throwing down the gauntlet: Ten ways to ensure the future of our research. Review of Higher Education, 39, 319–338.
Orosz, K., & Perna, L. W. (2016). Higher education internationalization in the context of ongoing economic-political transitions: Insights from former Soviet and Eastern bloc nations. Hungarian Education Research Journal, 6, 3–21.
Cahalan, M., Perna, L. W., Yamashita, M., Ruiz, R., & Franklin, K. (2016, April). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States: An historic trend report. The Pell Institute of the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy.
Perna, L. W. (2016, January). Connecting research and state policy: Implications for academic researchers and intermediary organizations. Lumina Foundation, Lumina Issue Papers.
Cahalan, M., & Perna, L. W. (2015, February). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States: 45-year trend report. The Pell Institute of the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy.
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., & Jumakulov, Z. (2015). Understanding the human capital benefits of a government-funded international scholarship program: An exploration of Kazakhstan’s Bolashak program. International Journal of Educational Development, 40, 85–97.
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., Jumakulov, Z., Kishtentayeva, M., & Ashirbekov, A. (2015). Understanding the programmatic and contextual forces that influence participation in a government-sponsored student mobility program. Higher Education, 69, 173–188.
Perna, L. W., May, H., Yee, A., Ransom, T., Rodriguez, A., & Fester, R. (2015). Access to the international baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme: An exploration of opportunity to rigorous high school curricula. Educational Policy, 29(2), 402–425.
Perna, L. W., Ruby, A., Boruch, R., Wang, N., Scull, J., Ahmad, S., & Evans, C. (2014). Moving through MOOCs: Understanding the progression of users in MOOCs. Educational Researcher, 43,421–432.
Perna, L. W., & Finney, J. (2014). The attainment agenda: State policy leadership in higher education. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Perna, L. W., & McLendon, M. (2014). The role of state policy in promoting college access and success. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
Perna, L. W., & Orosz, K., with Gopaul, B., Jumakulov, Z., Ashirbekov, A., & Kishkentayeva, M. (2014). Promoting human capital development: A typology of international scholarship programs in higher education. Educational Researcher, 43(2), 63–73.
Perna, L. W., & Jones, A. (2013). The state of college access and completion: Improving college success for students from underrepresented groups. Routledge.
Perna, L. W. (2012). Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs in Metropolitan America: The policy, practice, and research issues. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Perna, L. W., Harkavy, I., & Bowman, C. (2012). Understanding the role of research universities in improving college preparation and access at local urban high schools. Metropolitan Universities, 22(3), 63–82.
Perna, L. W., & Steele, P. (2011). The role of context in understanding the contributions of financial aid to college opportunity. Teachers College Record, 113, 895–933.
Perna, L. W. (2010). Understanding the working college student: New research and its implications for policy and practice. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Perna, L. W. Toward a more complete understanding of the role of financial aid in promoting college enrollment: The importance of context. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research. Springer Publishing.
Perna, L. W., Lundy-Wagner, V., Drezner, N., Gasman, M., Yoon, S., Bose, E., & Gary, S. (2009). The contribution of HBCUs to the preparation of African American women for STEM careers: A case study. Research in Higher Education, 50, 1–23.
Perna, L. W., & Thomas, S. L. (2008). Theoretical perspectives on student success: Understanding the contributions of the disciplines. ASHE-Higher Education Reader Report. Jossey-Bass.
Perna, L. W. (2008). Understanding high school students’ willingness to borrow to pay college prices. Research in Higher Education, 49, 589–606.
Perna, L. W., Rowan-Kenyon, H., Thomas, S. L., Bell, A., Anderson, R., & Li, C. (2008). The role of college counseling in shaping college opportunity: Variations across high schools. Review of Higher Education, 31(2), 131–160.
Perna, L. W., & Thomas, S. L. (2008). Barriers to college opportunity: The unintended consequences of state-mandated tests. Educational Policy, 23(3), 451–479.
Perna, L. W., Rowan-Kenyon, H., Bell, A., Li, C., & Thomas, S. L. (2008). Typology of federal and state policies designed to promote college enrollment. Journal of Higher Education, 79(3), 243–267.
Related News
Eight Penn GSE faculty feature prominently in the rankings, which celebrate the most influential education researchers in the nation.
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Last year’s rollout of the redesigned FAFSA form was disastrous. Laura Perna offers advice to help you get through it this year.
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Fafsa: short-term pain on enrolments, but hope of long-term gain
In the Media | Times Higher Education
TopicsLaura Perna highlights that recent FAFSA application delays have caused “confusion and real challenges” for students and colleges but believes the planned modifications will ultimately make the process simpler and more beneficial for students.
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Federal student loan debt now totals $1.645 trillion across 43.6 million borrowers, according to the Education Data Initiative.
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Triangle Tech to close all of its schools
In the Media | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TopicsLaura Perna links declining college enrollment at Triangle Tech to students entering the workforce straight out of high school.
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Vice Provost for Faculty Laura Perna says it is extremely important for students, especially low-income students and first-generation students, to complete the FAFSA as they try to identify ways to pay for college.
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For Some Young People, a College Degree Is Not Worth the Debt
In the Media | The New York Times
TopicsLaura Perna suggests that while community college is often promoted as an affordable educational route, it's not a universal solution due to limitations like accessibility and credit transfer issues, and emphasizes the need for a reevaluation of who bears the costs of higher education, advocating for a role for state and federal governments in making it more accessible and affordable.
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A new year means a new version of the RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, with the 2024 edition announced yesterday by Education Week. Nine researchers from the University of Pennsylvania made the annual 200-member list, which was created by Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to gauge the public impact of ed scholars’ contributions.
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Laura Perna criticizes the inaccuracy and lack of availability of college net price calculators, advocating for clearer, more up-to-date tools to help students understand the true costs of higher education.
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GradRight Pledges Affordable Access to Top Global Universities for Indian Students
In the Media | Deccan Chronicle
TopicsDr. Laura Perna acknowledged GradRight's initiative as a significant solution to the challenges of access, affordability, and inclusivity faced by Indian students seeking higher education abroad.
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According to Laura Perna, Black and Hispanic faculty are underrepresented at Maryland's largest public universities, reflecting a widespread issue in academia, with barriers to diversification including unrecognized "invisible labor," narrow definitions of merit, and bias in promotion and tenure processes, impacting faculty diversity and student-faculty ratios.
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Laura Perna says, “If we care about diversity in the student body, if we care about access to higher education for students from low-income families, then we have to be paying attention.”
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Getting To Graduation, Together
In the Media | The Philadelphia Citizen
Laura Perna calls an education model where a student wouldn’t be penalized by having out-of-pocket costs and a loan "very attractive."
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Laura Perna says a key difference between community colleges and four-year institutions is the type of degrees and credentials offered, and credit transfer is crucial for students.
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Laura Perna explained that net price calculators can help Pell-eligible families determine financial aid eligibility, but not all universities have compliant calculators with updated cost information.
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Institutions need better data on faculty backgrounds, their experiences and working conditions, and (in)equities in measures of success, Laura W. Perna writes.
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Eight University of Pennsylvania-affiliated researchers are ranked in the top 200 nationwide – and all eight are associated with Penn GSE.
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Laura Perna, expert in college access, affordability, and success, takes a look at the budgetary costs and distributional impact of the U.S. President’s initiative.
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Enabling midcareer faculty of color to thrive
In the Media | Inside Higher Ed
Sydney Freeman Jr., a visiting scholar, and Laura W. Perna write that faculty of color and women faculty are known to shoulder more of the invisible labor associated with the college teaching profession.
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What can institutions do to help students make informed choices about higher education? How can we make sense of skepticism surrounding cost, value, and return on investment? Four members of the Penn GSE community at the forefront of these changes spoke at a recent Penn Alumni panel event.
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What Is a Net Price Calculator?
In the Media | TestBright
Laura Perna speaks about net price calculators and their implications in college admissions. The three buckets that matter for college opportunity are financial aid, academic readiness, and information, she says. Net price calculators are an “important mechanism to help people understand really early on in the process ideally, how much it will actually cost.”
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Texas community college group aims to help students beyond the classroom
In the Media | The Washington Post
Laura Perna said that applying for financial aid can be complicated for students. However, the Alamo Promise program, which provides students in Texas with free tuition and additional services, sends “a clear message with no fine print,” she said.
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Laura Perna spoke about how so-called College Promise Programs that reduce the costs of attending college may encourage more students to enroll — but cautioned a number may still be deterred by fears of hidden costs.
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Ohio State U. Unveils a Plan for All Students to Graduate Debt-Free
In the Media | The Chronicle of Higher Education
Laura Perna discussed how the challenges of constructing debt-free degree programs may be daunting for colleges, but the ends justify the means: The programs create a more socioeconomically diverse student body, to the benefit of everyone.
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Laura Perna spoke about efforts to make community college tuition-free. "There's power in the message that tuition is free. Figuring out how much college costs is complicated," she said.
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For adults returning to college, ‘free’ tuition isn’t enough
In the Media | The Hechinger Report
TopicsLaura Perna spoke about accommodating the needs of adult students. “There is a complexity to adult learners,” she said. “It is really recognizing, ‘What are the circumstances of individual people’s lives?’ If someone is to enroll in college, how do you make it possible for them to attend?”
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Topics
Laura Perna argues that making community college tuition-free should be a national priority.
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College costs are complicated, but that's not an excuse to hide important information, Laura Perna says.
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How to improve value of higher ed? Increase career support.
In the Media | Strada Education Network
TopicsLaura Perna pointed to equity gaps in labor market returns for people who hold the same type of college credential, noting that the risk of taking out a loan to attend college isn’t distributed equally in society.
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Free college programs can enable more student to go to college, but it all depends on how the program is designed
In the Media | The Conversation
TopicsIn the Conversation, Laura Perna, Jeremy Wright-Kim, and Elaine Leigh examine the design of free college programs and how the design influences their effectiveness.
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To future academics: We need you to revive democracy
In the Media | University World News
TopicsIn University World News, Laura Perna and William Tierney write “Academic life, as we have lived it, and as we envision it for you, is about challenging norms and creating a society that foments democracy.”
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The Delaware College Scholars Podcast: Dr. Laura Perna
In the Media | The Delaware College Scholars Podcast
TopicsLaura Perna talks about her research, issues of college access, affordability and success for first-generation, under-resourced students and why she has dedicated her life to this specific research.
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Campus life in the fall? A test with no clear answer
In the Media | The New York Times
Laura Perna said of colleges’ approaches to the fall 2020 semester, “I think we are going to see a lot of variation.”
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Pell Grants Help Students. But Are They Enough?
In the Media | The Hispanic Outlook
TopicsLaura Perna and Jeremy Wright-Kim write that while Pell Grants reduce financial pressures, this does not translate into higher graduation rates.
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Tuition-free community college will make Philly stronger
In the Media | The Philadelphia Inquirer
The city needs more college graduates. Laura Perna argues a Kenney Administration proposal that includes scholarships and supports would put Philadelphia on track.
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Perna, L.W., & Wright-Kim, J (2020, February 21). Federal Pell Grants help pay for college-but are they enough to help students finish.
In the Media | The Conversation
TopicsLaura Perna and Jeremy Wright-Kim write that more needs to be done to improve graduation rates at the colleges where many Pell recipients enroll.
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Understanding the costs of college. Research Minutes: Educational Research and Policy Podcast
In the Media | Research Minutes Educational Research and Policy Podcast
TopicsLaura Perna joins CPRE Executive Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss her team’s study on Net Price Calculators and some important implications for higher education policymakers and college officials.
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Laura Perna writes that more must be done to recognize the extent to which college students are working and take actions that minimize the harm, and maximize the benefits, of student employment.
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Is It Fair to Award Scholarships Based on the SAT?
In the Media | The Wall Street Journal
TopicsLaura Perna says "exams increase inequality when you look at who is getting access to aid."
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Kenney calls for tuition-free community college in Philadelphia, but details remain vague
In the Media | The Philadelphia Tribune Online
Laura Perna pointed out that for low-income students, the barriers to attending and completing community college go beyond tuition and fees. Those auxiliary costs include housing, food, transportation and childcare, among other things.
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Topics
Perna’s recommendations included improving community college access, clearer pricing, and more support for minority students and non-traditional learners.
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Six researchers from Penn GSE have made Education Week’s 2020 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings list.