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Strategies
August 26, 2022
Guidance and supports for post-secondary students

Guidance and supports for post-secondary students

Strategy overview

  • Addressing barriers to graduation: The most effective guidance and support programs for post-secondary students often take a comprehensive approach to student success. Program components can include integrated direct student services (like personalized advising, tutoring, and career development services), pathways supporting academic momentum (such as flexible class scheduling and full-time enrollment), and financial supports (such as tuition and fee gap scholarships, textbook assistance, and free public transit passes).
  • High-frequency, 1:1 coaching: Many guidance and support programs for post-secondary students are delivered by full-time coaches. The coaches typically balance their time between student recruitment, advising sessions, data tracking and analysis, and engaging with other on-campus departments (such as tutors or the financial aid office). Multiple high-impact, evidence-based programs prioritize relatively small caseloads (approximately 1:150, which is roughly half of the national average for college advising).
  • Using data to support student needs: Many programs provide coaches with data management tools allowing them to proactively identify where students might need additional support. For instance, if a student is consistently late to a class that meets shortly after a work shift, a coach may be able to work with the student to find a section that better fits their schedule. Coaches can also use a data-informed student engagement strategy, such as identifying the times a student is most likely to reply to a text message (such as in between classes or during lunch).
  • Identifying a target population: While some programs seek to provide a subgroup of students with more tailored supports (i.e. to first generation students or income-eligible students), others are offered to all new students. Implementation of campus-wide programs often requires cultivating relationships and a dedicated point of contact in several departments, such as financial aid, academic affairs, and admissions.

Multiple rigorous evaluations found that guidance and support programs for post-secondary students were associated with statistically significant increases in college graduation.

  • A 2020 research synthesis found that programs providing comprehensive support services to community college students increased enrollment, persistence, and in some cases, graduation rates.

  • Multiple rigorous evaluations of the CUNY ASAP program have found significant impacts on community college graduation, including a three-year graduation rate double that of non-program participants.

  • A 2021 randomized control trial on Bottom Line, another college advising program, found that the program was associated with an 8 percentage point increase in a student’s likelihood of earning a bachelor’s degree.

Before making investments in guidance and supports for post-secondary students, city and county leaders should ensure this strategy addresses local needs.

The Urban Institute and Mathematica have developed indicator frameworks to help local leaders assess conditions related to upward mobility, identify barriers, and guide investments to address these challenges. These indicator frameworks can serve as a starting point for self-assessment, not as a comprehensive evaluation, and should be complemented by other forms of local knowledge.

The Urban Institute's Upward Mobility Framework identifies a set of key local conditions that shape communities’ ability to advance upward mobility and racial equity. Local leaders can use the Upward Mobility Framework to better understand the factors that improve upward mobility and prioritize areas of focus. Data reports for cities and counties can be created here.

Several indicators in the Upward Mobility Framework may be improved with investments in high-quality programs. To measure these indicators and determine if investments in this strategy could help, examine the following:

  • Social capital: Number of membership associations per 10,000 people and the ratio of residents’ Facebook friends with higher socioeconomic status to their Facebook friends with lower socioeconomic status. These data are available from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns and Opportunity Insights’ Social Capital Atlas, respectively.

Mathematica's Education-to-Workforce (E-W) Indicator Framework helps local leaders identify the data that matter most in helping students and young adults succeed. Local leaders can use the E-W framework to better understand education and workforce conditions in their communities and to identify strategies that can improve outcomes in these areas.

Several indicators in the E-W Framework may be improved with investments in high-quality programs. To measure these indicators and determine if investments in this strategy could help, examine the following:

  • Access to college and career advising: Ratio of number of students to number of full-time equivalent (FTE) counselors or percentage of students using academic advising and career counseling services.
  • First-year credit accumulation: Percentage of students attempting and completing sufficient credits toward on-time completion in their first year: 30 credits for full-time and 15 credits for part-time students
  • Post-secondary certificate or degree completion: Percentage of students completing a certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degree within 150 percent of the program's intended length.
  • Post-secondary persistence: Percentage of students who continue enrolling in college (including transfers to other colleges) or complete a credential the following year, captured for up to 150 percent of program length.
  • Unmet financial need: Average net price (cost of attendance minus grants, scholarships, or tuition waivers from all sources) minus average expected family contribution (EFC), as calculated by Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

  • Hire high-quality coaches: Coaches deliver or refer students to nearly all services a program has to offer. Therefore, coaches must have small enough caseloads (often 100-150 students per coach, which is roughly half of the national average) to maximize their impact. By prioritizing the recruitment and hiring of enough coaches to keep caseloads small, coaches will be better positioned to offer the personalized support students need to succeed.
  • Reach students early: While approaches vary depending on target population, many programs engage with students while they are still in high school. This can include information sessions on college financing options, recruitment materials to raise awareness of on-campus supports, and partnering with high school academic advisors to facilitate smoother transitions. Early student engagement can increase the likelihood that students will attend college, and, once on campus, can serve as the foundation of a stronger relationship between students and coaches.
  • Secure local government and campus leader support: Executives both in local government and on college campuses can increase the likelihood of a program’s success through two channels: investment and vocal support. From a financial perspective, championing a program can boost support for public funding. Furthermore, high profile champions can encourage stronger collaboration between local high schools and the program; increased student and family awareness of available resources; and a higher level of buy-in among campus staff (professors, tutors, bursar, etc.), to whom a coach often refers students for additional services.
  • Measure and refine student-level interventions: In addition to the coaches themselves, another key investment is in data management tools that allow coaches to track the impact of supports they provide to students (i.e. whether a particular tutor is helping a student achieve stronger outcomes). Such data collection and analysis can foster a culture of continuous improvement and demonstrate the value of the program to funders and internal stakeholders.

Evidence-based examples

Accelerating Opportunity (AO)

  • Combining career and technical education (CTE) programming and developmental education courses: Accelerating Opportunity (AO) responded to the need for improved pathways from adult basic education to valuable credentials in the labor market. The initiative served adults without high school diplomas or the equivalent. AO encouraged states to allow community and technical colleges to enroll these students in either for-credit CTE courses or developmental courses leading to CTE pathways while they simultaneously earned high school credentials, improved basic skills, or built their English language capabilities (referred to collectively as “adult education”).

  • Engaging states with adult education in their postsecondary system: Participating states identified at least eight colleges to pilot and scale up Accelerating Opportunity pathways in high-demand industries. The colleges assembled pathway planning and implementation teams (with representatives from adult education, credit-bearing CTE programs, support services, and administration) to participate in regular meetings in a statewide network, sharing best practices and informing state policy development. Colleges were expected to establish at least two Accelerating Opportunity pathways. Other key aspects of the pathways in addition to the dual enrollment included that colleges connected students with dedicated navigators and that they arranged for adult education and CTE instructors to team teach at least 25 percent of pathway content.

  • Linking educational pathways to viable career pathways: To be eligible for the program, students had to fall within National Reporting System levels 4-6 (6th to 12th grade) on math, reading, or writing, or National Reporting System levels 5-6 in English-language skills. Eligible students began with adult education courses, then continued on to college-level certificates that are at least 12 credit hours long. These certificates are offered in industries with substantial labor demand and high wages, ensuring students may reliably gain sustainable employment following graduation.

  • Increase access and success in postsecondary education and the workforce: The AO model addressed both policy and practice in each participating state. AO established a policy team for each state, which then worked to identify policies that would support dual enrollment pathways for adults. The policy teams focused on five policy priorities: data and analysis, innovation/redesign, aligned expectations, assessment and placement, and finance. On the practice side, AO aimed to improve students’ overall education experience. To do this, the program offered professional development for faculty and staff at participating institutions to ensure a high-quality learning experience.

Post-secondary enrollment and graduation High-quality employment
Proven
Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
Online learning platform and community providing subsidized courses and learning materials to students 
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)
Comprehensive suite of services for community college students, including academic, financial, and logistical assistance
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Proven
CUNY Start

  • Intensive approach to remedial education at community colleges: CUNY Start is a low-cost, one-semester program for incoming City University of New York (CUNY) students referred to developmental education in math, reading, or writing. The program allows students to complete all of their developmental education requirements in one semester and build college-relevant skills prior to matriculation.

  • One semester, full- or part-time program: Students in CUNY Start defer their community college matriculation for one semester and participate in the program either full-time or part-time. The full-time program offers instruction in math, reading, and writing; consists of 25 hours of class time per week; and costs $75. The part-time program offers instruction in either math or reading and writing, and consists of 12 hours of class time per week. The low cost of these programs is intended to allow students to save their financial aid for only credit-bearing courses.

  • Academic instruction geared toward active learning: CUNY Start classes are taught by teachers who are trained in the CUNY Start curriculum and pedagogical approach. Classes consist of a combination of whole-class, individual, and small-group work rather than lectures. The goal is for students to be actively engaged in their learning, consequently increasing engagement.

  • Offering access to additional support services: CUNY Start students also have access to advising and tutoring outside of the classroom and participate in a weekly seminar focused on college success skills. CUNY Start advisors intentionally have small caseloads (approximately 75 students) to enable them to more fully support students and help them plan for matriculation.

 Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
Dana Center Mathematics Pathways
DCMP is a developmental mathematics framework for postsecondary institutions.
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Promising
Detroit Promise Path
Provides Detroit Public Schools graduates with scholarships to attend local colleges tuition-free and a range of supports once they are enrolled
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE)
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) is a behavioral intervention used by community colleges to increase enrollment in summer term courses.
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
First year experience courses
Supplementary courses or seminars instructing new college students on subjects that can improve their college experience academically, personally, and socially
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
InsideTrack Coaching
Individualized coaching for students to address academic and nonacademic barriers to remaining in college through graduation
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Promising
Multiple Measures Assessment
MMA is an approach to determining whether developmental coursework is appropriate for postsecondary students.
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
NYC P-TECH Schools
A workforce-oriented high school model that aims to reduce barriers to entering STEM fields.
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation High-quality employment
Strong
One Million Degrees
Comprehensive support services focused on community college completion and transition to a career or 4-year institution
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
Performance-based scholarships
Financial aid for post-secondary students conditional on achieving certain academic benchmarks
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Strong
Stay the Course
A comprehensive student success program designed to help community college students complete their degrees.
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Promising
Texas Transfer Grant Program
The Texas Transfer Grant Program provides one-semester grants to students who transfer from two-year community colleges to four-year institutions. 
Post-secondary enrollment and graduation
Promising
Learn more:
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab: Reducing community college dropout through comprehensive supports Hanover Research: Strategies for Improving Student Retention National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: Postsecondary education & training preparation toolkit CUNY ASAP: Resource guide on program structure, components, and management Inside Track: Student coaching impact calculator