Nearly 80% of students considering discontinuing their studies believed institutions can do more to keep them enrolled with student support.
Student Experience

How can higher ed fix troubling gaps in student support?


Nearly 80 percent of students considering discontinuing their studies believed their institution can do more to keep them enrolled

But there’s hope—79 percent of at-risk students believe their institutions can or might be able to take action to keep them on track.

“Students made it clear, there’s a path to preventing stop out. Quality support matters—now more than ever,” said Batra. “And it starts with being intentional about making support available.”

The survey found that support became increasingly important during the pandemic and students want support services that meet them where they are. They valued round-the-clock availability and support that was faster and easier to find. It also revealed there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to student support and a personalized experience tailored to the student could potentially be the most effective strategy—particularly for more vulnerable student populations. For example, to improve their schools’ support services, students of color favored making them technology-enabled while at-risk students were much more likely to prefer automated services like chatbots and self-service phone menus for receiving support.

“Students, especially at-risk students, can’t take advantage of support if they can’t find it or if it’s not available when they are,” said Batra. “By identifying at-risk students and proactively engaging them with a personalized approach that meets their unique needs, institutions can truly make a difference by keeping students on path toward success.”

Mental health also emerged as a critical area of support for all students – tied with financial aid as the most important support service. Despite its importance, mental health received the lowest marks across all services for access to support and level of satisfaction. At-risk students also cited mental health as the second most important factor (44 percent) impacting their ability to stay enrolled (following financial aid at 50 percent).

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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Laura Ascione
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