Six ways enrollment managers can improve college student retention immediately

After visiting hundreds of campuses over the course of my consulting career, it always surprises me how many campus leaders don’t think of student retention as a primary driver of their enrollment success. Many times I have had people say they are interested in both enrollment and retention, as if they are two separate things. When you think about it, retaining your students until graduation or completion is likely the most impactful driver of your overall enrollment success, not to mention a financial boon to your institution (as it costs more to recruit a new student than retain a current one). In addition, retaining your students and helping them to achieve success is perhaps your strongest marketing message to communicate the value of your educational programs.

As you know, college student retention isn’t simply about retaining first-time, full-time freshmen. It’s about ensuring that all students are continually making progress towards their educational goals and persisting until completion and/or graduation. The way students successfully matriculate through their educational programs has significant impact on the overall enrollment health of your institution.

I recommend considering the following six suggestions for making a strong, informed case about the impact of student retention and for improving your overall institutional enrollment success:

1. Calculate your current retention, persistence, and progression rates for all entering cohorts of students. This means looking at students from their first entry into the institution until they complete their educational goals. Include transfer students and even those in graduate programs if applicable. My colleague Tim Culver has an earlier blog about persistence, progression, and retention rates that can help you with these calculations.
2. Communicate your commitment to improving student success to the entire campus community. Remember that building a culture of student success across campus leads to improved student retention and completion rates. Showing how administrators, faculty, and staff can contribute to student success and the value of their contribution to the overall success of your campus is one of the surest ways to build that commitment.
3. Determine the financial impact of each student as a part of that cohort. In my experience, many campuses underestimate the economic impact of student attrition. Looking at the number of students entering in a particular term, the average discount rate for that population, and also the net revenue contribution can help you determine the financial impact of each of the students and also the cost for them to leave the institution before completing their program. You can also use our Retention Revenue Estimator to see the year-to-year impact.
4. Communicate within the institution the impact that retaining a single student has for the institution. Create the kind of environment where every student counts and the campus community develops an appreciation of that fact.
5. Develop specific initiatives in order to impact students by cohort and at different stages within their matriculation. In other words what specifically can we begin to do to improve student success by cohort and stage of their enrollment? Noel-Levitz has addressed this in part by developing assessment instruments for the first two critical years of enrollment. The results in the National Freshman Attitudes Report, The Attitudes and Needs of Freshmen at Mid-Year, and The Attitudes of Second-Year College Students may give you some ideas on how to assess your cohorts.
6. Celebrate and communicate your successes and impact of initiatives on student success. Make sure that members of the campus community including students are aware of the steps that are being taken to improve the likelihood of student success. Let people know what is making a difference. In addition, understand that in order to have a successful enrollment management program, it is essential to make retention initiatives the centerpiece of your campus initiatives enrollment plan.

By renewing your focus on retention, you have an opportunity to significantly impact your overall enrollment, perhaps more than any other initiative you might take. Retaining more students can also save significant amounts of revenue, something every campus needs to do today.

Of course, there are many ways to build a student retention program. Our 2013 Student Retention and College Completion Practices Report can provide you with insights into what other campuses are doing right now to promote student success. I can also answer any questions you have if you send me an e-mail.