By Sara Melnick, Chief of Finance and Special Projects, and Matthew Odom, Communications Manager
Reading time: Four minutes
In 2022, the Kresge Foundation awarded the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) with funding to support summer activities for seven select programs through the Supporting Postsecondary Enrollment During the COVID Era grant. Each program received $30,000 to support FAFSA completion and postsecondary enrollment strategies to (1) ensure students from the class of 2022 matriculated to college and (2) re-engage students from the classes of 2021 and 2020 who either never enrolled or had stopped
out. Below, we’ve outlined the activities funded, what worked (and didn’t), and learnings.
Activities
Class of 2022
Summer workshops/bridge programs (in-person and virtual) that addressed:
Navigating the transition to college
Finding belonging on campus
Financial aid and literacy (including FAFSA completion)
Mental health and self-care
Career-related skills (e.g., resume writing)
Building social networks and capital
Meeting basic needs
College courses so that students could get a head-start on coursework.
One on one advising either in person, virtually, or via text to address the topics mentioned above.
On-call counselors (in-person and virtual) that students and families could consult with on the admissions process.
Office hours covering general advising and/or FAFSA completion.
Exhibit tables at events and festivals
Pre-summer coordinated events such as:
Admissions and FAFSA completion counseling at school-sponsored events.
Decision Day activities
Admitted student days at postsecondary institutions to reduce summer melt.
Social and digital media advertising.
Engaging near peer mentors who aided in matriculation efforts and offered financial aid advising.
Classes of 2020 and 2021
In addition to the activities outlined above, grantees did the following to re-engage the classes of 2020 and 2021:
Developed specific messaging to target and reconnect with students. Audiences included:
Youth who attended college but did not renew their FAFSA and/or stopped out.
Youth who were interested in attending college but couldn’t do so due to financial limitations.
Students who never enrolled
What Worked
Collecting contact information and information on each student’s postsecondary goals through exit surveys or other means. Several of the grantees indicated that it was extremely difficult to reach out to students electronically if
advisors did not have their students’ current contact information.
Tip: Ask students which topics they want to know more about and then incorporate those topics into future workshops or advising sessions.
Text message reminders about completing the steps necessary to matriculate, upcoming meetings and events, etc.
Having existing advisors present summer workshops for the class of 2022. Many students had anxieties about the postsecondary enrollment process, some of which were eased when summer workshops were conducted by the advisors they already
knew.
Summer academies and workshops generally worked well. Several grantees found that students who attended these events seemed to be more communicative throughout the fall semester and were better adjusted on their campuses.
Tip: Summer workshops are particularly helpful if they are held on the campus a student plans to attend in the fall, as
this serves to engender a familiarity that helps students feel comfortable.
Targeted, personalized outreach to students via phone calls and individualized texts was much more effective than blanket communication.
However, the challenge with this approach is that it’s time-consuming.
What Didn’t Work
In some cases, students and parents are very focused on work so getting their attention and encouraging them to attend summer workshops/bridge programs proved to be a challenge.
Oftentimes when events were not well-attended, it was indicative of a socioeconomic or geographic divide.
In some locations, no matter what time events were offered, students and families were not able to attend due to schedule conflicts.
Events had to be hyperlocal to overcome travel barriers.
In some cases, it was difficult to find locations for events since there was competition for activity space.
Summer generally presented challenges in connecting with schools, students, parents, and businesses when schools were not in session.
Oftentimes, virtual events were not well-attended due to students experiencing Zoom fatigue.
Some grantees had to spend time undoing bad (or no) advice that students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 had received. For example:
Students who were ineligible for financial aid due to their performance in dual-enrollment courses during the COVID-19 pandemic had not been given appropriate guidance on appealing that decision.
Students who enrolled but did not drop their class(es) were adversely affected and less likely to want to return to college.
Students who were employed or serving in the armed forces were often less willing to discuss pursuing a postsecondary education.
Stand-alone events for students were often not well-attended.
Tip: Piggyback on existing events that draw more attendees.
In some cases, grantees found there were simply not enough advisors to communicate with students from all three classes.
Access to technology was an issue especially for students who no longer had access to a school-issued Chromebook.
Learnings
Summer activities can be a challenge, but if carefully planned and clearly communicated, can provide necessary information and encouragement to encourage students to enroll in postsecondary education.
Targeted, personal outreach is far more effective than generic and far-reaching communications.
Ensuring you have current contact information is critical to ensuring that messages are received by students.
Using data about whether students have enrolled and what information they need to enroll will increase the likelihood that outreach and engagement efforts are successful.
Several sites suggested that they would have had better outcomes if they had engaged in activities during the school year when students hadn’t yet dispersed for the summer.
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