As many as 40% of students who enroll in a college or university don’t make it to the first day of class, according to NPR. This phenomenon is known as summer melt, and it can happen for several reasons. For example, the institution may communicate key information to students in a way that doesn’t resonate with them, or students may lack access to the resources they need to complete some required tasks. Additionally, in many cases, students simply become overwhelmed with the sheer number of administrative tasks they need to complete. These scenarios can result in missed deadlines that prevent students from accessing higher education.
Without empathetic and timely support, summer melt can become an increasingly likely outcome — especially for first-generation and low-income student populations.
To ensure that more students are able to overcome these barriers to college access, AdmitHub and Upward Bound at Indiana Wesleyan University have launched a partnership. This January, we teamed up to provide more than 60 aspiring college students with a behaviorally intelligent chatbot that uses SMS text messaging to guide them through the enrollment process. This initial partnership delivers timely information and reminders to students at critical touchpoints — as well as instant, on-demand answers to their enrollment questions. As this partnership grows, AdmitHub aspires to support hundreds of thousands of Upward Bound students in the years to come.
Using Behavioral Intelligence to Shrink the Opportunity Gap
Gen Z students read less than 20% of the emails they receive, but 97% of them read every single text they get. However, many colleges and universities still use less effective methods like email and phone calls to communicate the most critical information to students throughout the enrollment process.
AdmitHub’s behaviorally intelligent chatbots simplify the enrollment process for students by providing them with access to the information they need, when they need it — on the channels they prefer to use, like texting, social media, and web chat. This approach empowers colleges and universities to better understand and proactively support their students. By enabling institutions to actively listen to students at scale, behavioral intelligence makes it easy to address their concerns and deliver the information they need quickly.
AdmitHub’s Partnership With Upward Bound
Upward Bound’s goal of leveling the playing field to create equal access to higher education aligns with AdmitHub’s mission to help people take the next step toward a more fulfilling life. Since 1965, Upward Bound — a federal TRIO program — has been dedicated to increasing the rate at which first-generation and historically underrepresented students enroll in and graduate from college.
This partnership provides a behaviorally intelligent chatbot to aspiring college students who will use it to access the answers and information they need to achieve their education goals via text messaging.
Over the years, AdmitHub has partnered with several college access organizations, including Common App and College Advising Corps, as well as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and many more to help students from all backgrounds achieve equitable access to education.
Support Your Students With AdmitHub
Schedule a demo to find out how your institution can put the information your students need to succeed at their fingertips with AdmitHub’s unrivaled student engagement platform.
