The White House College Opportunity Day of Action

President Barack Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama and Bard College student Troy Simon, delivers remarks during the College Opportunity Summit in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Jan. 16, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

At the beginning of his administration, President Obama set a goal that the U.S. would once again lead the world in college graduates. The President believes that expanding opportunity for more students to enroll and succeed in college is vital to building a strong economy and a strong middle class.

The President has already taken important steps to increase college access, including:

• Increasing Pell scholarships by $1,000 a year
• Creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit, worth up to $10,000 over four years of college
• Limiting student loan payments to 10 percent of income
• Laying out an ambitious agenda to reduce college costs and promote innovation and competition

In January, 140 college presidents and other leaders made commitments to support student success at the first White House College Opportunity Summit. To build upon the success of that summit, on Thursday, December 4, President Obama and the First Lady will join college presidents and other leaders making new commitments to improve degree completion, sustain community collaborations that encourage college-going, train high school counselors as part of the First Lady’s Reach Higher initiative, and produce more STEM graduates with diverse backgrounds.

Here’s how you can participate in the College Opportunity Summit on Thursday, December 4th:

• Watch the entire summit live here, or at obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/live.
  • 9:00 a.m. ET: Opening remarks by Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Department of Education
  • 9:15 a.m. ET: Panel discussions moderated by Cecilia Muñoz and Secretary Julian Castro, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • 11:50 a.m. ET: Remarks by the President Barack Obama
  • 2:45 p.m. ET: Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama
  • 3:00 p.m. ET: Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden
• Add your voice to the conversation and follow along on social media with the hashtag #CollegeOpportunity.

AM Live Stream: Remarks by Cecilia Muñoz, Secretary Julian Castro, and President Barack Obama:

PM Live Stream: Remarks by the First Lady and Vice President Biden:

Learn More:

• The President and First Lady’s Call to Action on College Opportunity
• View the list of Commitments to Action on College Opportunity (pdf)
• View the Progress Report on January Commitments (pdf)