The Challenge
Declining birth rates and the COVID pandemic have halted a decade of enrollment growth on American campuses. Keeping students enrolled is now critical for colleges and universities across the country. To limit attrition and the resulting loss of revenue, administrators must ask themselves an uncomfortable question:
“If higher education is a product, and students are its consumers, are we doing everything we can to bring them back for another year?”
Previously, campus leaders have approached this issue solely from the student perspective: How can we help struggling students stay in school, graduate, and fulfill their potential? But now colleges and universities must flip the script. They need to reimagine their enrollment strategies to shore up the bottom line.
The Solution
To limit enrollment losses, many institutions have redoubled their recruitment efforts. They’re offering new programs and additional options for online learning to attract nontraditional students. But retaining current students can be more cost-effective, preserving millions in tuition dollars.
Researchers suggest a multifaceted strategy:
Eliminate bureaucratic and financial barriers
- Simplify academic and administrative policies to make it easier for students to register, change majors, and pay their bills. This eliminates common barriers to re-enrollment.
- Launch a program to provide emergency “microgrants” to students with small debts that block them from returning to the classroom.
- Streamline early academic planning to provide a clear path to graduation.
Update and expand advising services
- Add staff and technology to help advisors better serve their students.
- Improve student support services—financial aid, career advising, the mental health center, etc.—by improving coordination among faculty, advisors, and on-campus providers.
- Create a discrete student success office led by a high-level administrator.
Build confidence and a sense of belonging
- Increase investment in pre-college summer programs. This can help students adapt to college-level coursework, build confidence, and create connections to peers and faculty.
- Provide peer-based support to students who feel uncertain or out of place on campus.
Deliver a return on education
- Streamline required courses and cut nonproductive credits that drive up tuition costs.
- Invest in course design, faculty development, and innovative teaching.