What is Student Success in Higher Education?

Depending on where you look, the meaning of student success varies wildly. From professors, to parents, to students themselves, what it means to be successful in higher education depends on many factors and key traits.

Although this variety makes it tough to pin down a solid definition that works in every instance, it is possible to establish a few indicators that are common in situations and campuses where students are thriving. With these considerations in mind, it’s crucial that colleges and universities strive to create environments where success is attainable.

In this post, we’ll give a high level overview of what it means to encourage student success at your school. We’ll also take a closer look at how student engagement and personalization play into the long-term picture.

Definition of Student Success in Higher Education Institutions

Defining student success often relies on the two very important things—metrics and student perception. While administrators can use measurements like GPA (grade point average), attendance, and exam scores to gauge success numerically, students might have a different viewpoint. 

For the college learner, being a successful student also includes qualities related to support, persistence, community involvement, and interpersonal (as well as academic) experiences. 

As a result, we can see that student success is more than just a number with a few decimals; instead, it’s the comprehensive way that students perform and persist.

As colleges and universities have navigated more challenging enrollment environments over the past few years, coming up with a concrete definition of success has become more essential. To help with this goal, EDUCAUSE assembled a panel of higher ed leaders and experts who created the following working definition of student success:

“Student success community programs promote student engagement, learning, and progress toward the student's own goals through cross-functional leadership and the strategic application of technology."

If, as educators or higher education professionals, we follow this path to student academic achievement, then we must acknowledge and embrace the role of engagement in success. 

Success vs. Persistence—What’s the Difference?

Educators—and even lawmakers—have studied student success efforts throughout the years. In fact, this attention has contributed to major policies and financial incentives, including the use of Pell Grants and the Stafford Student Loan Program. Most leaders know that in order to readily succeed, students need the right building blocks in place.

These factors are both personal (found within the individual student) and holistic (taking place broadly in society at large). In other words, the student must have the emotional and academic intelligence needed to move forward, but external factors also influence the likelihood of degree attainment.

Success paves the way for persistence in college, which essentially implies that students finish and complete their degree program of choice. It does not necessarily mean, however, that all students need A+ averages in order to achieve.

Finding Success in College? Know the Facts

For leaders in higher education, fostering student success depends on knowing what uphill battles exist in the world of post-secondary learning. 

When it comes to the experiences of university applicants and attendees, it’s not as simple as “show up, earn good grades, succeed.” Oversimplifying the process ignores one of the biggest problems in today’s higher education climate, namely that up to 50% of students are stalling out before they achieve a four-year degree in that exact timeframe.

Successful degree completion also has implications for future career success. In a survey of thousands of institutions throughout the United States, data shows that college degree earners out-earn high school graduates over the course of their respective careers. And while debt from student loans continues to be a pressing issue across the country, knowing how to help students successfully achieve a degree while preparing for the future is critical, especially in a competitive and ever-changing higher ed climate.

We’ve rounded up remedies to six of the challenges our partner schools experience most and the actionable tips you need to overcome them.

Top 6 Recruiting and Engagement Challenges—and How to Beat Them

Tips to Improve Student Success in Higher Education

Are you eager to take your student success campaigns from good to great? There are several steps and methods you can use to get there. As you apply these tips, remember that it’s not just about creating an impressive campus—it’s about empowering students to accomplish what they set out to do when they first enrolled. 

In order for students to succeed, they must feel like more than just a number. This is especially true at larger institutions that enroll tens of thousands of students at one time. In such a large environment (often with large class sizes), it’s easy to feel swallowed up in the experience.

Gather background information on each and every student that enrolls. What personal strengths do they bring upon enrollment? Are there any “red flags” or things to know that might contribute to stumbles along the path to a degree? Encourage your admissions and enrollment officers to ask the right questions and upload as much data as possible to the student’s record within your CRM. 

Match Students to the Appropriate Resources

Once you know your students well, you can personalize the kind of resources that they receive during their time on campus. Since every student’s needs and challenges are unique, this might look like facilitating different opportunities based on areas of struggle.

Financial - support students who need advice on payments, loans, and scholarships

Academic - guide students that struggle to maintain academic performance

Social - foster positive relationships on campus that help students feel connected

Mental - work with students on mental health concerns (like stress and anxiety) that could prevent them from reaching their full potential

Physical - give options for healthy living with on-campus meals and activities

Each of these resources plays an important role in developing successful student outcomes. Even if some students explore one specific resource option over the others, creating an environment of holistic support can be a gamechanger.

Assist Throughout the Student Lifecycle 

One mistake that schools often make is placing the majority of student-centered resources at the start of the process. And yes, while helping students get through the enrollment gate is important, it’s not enough to only provide support during those first few months. 

Persistence and success are both long-term goals, meaning that it takes years to see or personally witness the benefits. As a result, campuses need layers of support throughout the student journey, not simply at the beginning and end. 

Practically, this looks like having an engaged academic advising team that regularly checks in and monitors student progress along the way. The process might also include student mentors who develop supportive relationships with students who are slightly behind where they are in their own degree plan. 

Get creative, but aim to offer trustworthy resources throughout a student’s degree timeline. 

More recently, schools and researchers have explored the intrinsic qualities of successful students. For some, it’s as simple as owning a mindset of growth. In other words, there are things that students won’t know or excel at right away, and that’s normal.

A growth mindset also encourages students who might express hesitance over taking classes that don’t directly contribute to their degree program. This is especially true at liberal arts colleges, where students must complete several core courses unrelated to their field of study. 

Helping undergraduate students see the value in these core pieces can help them stay more engaged and find success, even through the duration of a four-year program.  Overall, this encouragement is more likely to boost student satisfaction and improve academic success. 

How Does a Student Engagement Platform Promote Student Success?

A student engagement platform offers more insight into the actual lives and needs of individual students. This is in contrast to grouping all students together in one massive cohort and applying a blanket approach with hope that they’ll eventually succeed.

Modernized engagement platforms like Element451 also allow schools to deliver the following elements to students along the journey.

Personalized messages for real-world questions

Targeted communications that assist with reminders and deadlines

Automated responses for speedy answers (when they’re needed and warranted)

Engaging content that creates well-rounded campus experiences overall

If modern student enrollment is changing, our approach to fostering success (alongside student retention) must keep pace. As schools grow and change, it’s very difficult to accomplish this manually or without the appropriate digital experiences. A student engagement platform closes the gaps and ensures that every student receives a fair shot at success.

Student enrollment is changing. Now’s the time to adapt and change your enrollment strategy to be student-centered.

To encourage the success of college students on your own campus or within a specific population, you need to see the full picture. Investing in engagement is one proven way to make the year count—both for your administrative team and for any students who embark on their post-secondary career. 

Element451 can help you achieve these outcomes on both the campus and student level. With personalized campaigns and individualized experiences that help your school stay competitive, you’ll be able to quickly leverage tools that make a tagine difference.

Together, let’s help students achieve what they set their minds to this year—and beyond.

What is Student Success in Higher Education?

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