University of Idaho
The University of Idaho wanted to reach and enroll more adult learners. Working with ReUp, they focused on several key components: expanding the number of adult learners reached, recording their feedback, motivations and obstacles, and offering tailored support based on that feedback.
The University of Idaho (U of I) in Moscow, Idaho, is a public land-grant institution founded in 1889. It offers associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs in addition to having a law school and a medical school. With around 12,000 students enrolled across 103 undergraduate and 69 graduate programs, U of I is committed to providing high-quality education and is a leader in the areas of engineering, agriculture, and natural resources within the state.
Partnership Overview
Interactions between ReUp and U of I students
U of I students re-enrolled
Tuition Recovered
Students Graduated
Creating the path to re-enrollment for adult learners
Like many institutions, U of I faced a significant challenge: re-enrolling adult learners who left college before completing their degrees. The university saw tremendous value in engaging adult learners and offering them a pathway back to higher education. Not only did this initiative align with the school’s students-first mindset, it was a way to impact social and economic mobility in the state.
Historically, U of I tried to re-engage stopped out adult learners by conducting outreach throughout the first year after a learner left school and encouraged them to register for classes up until a semester started. Through its internal efforts, the school learned what factors impacted its re-enrollment numbers for adult learners:
- Sporadic outreach: Communication with potential re-enrollees needed to increase in frequency and regularity.
- Limited resources: Outreach efforts were unsustainable due to insufficient resources for ongoing support.
- Geographical constraints: The inability to offer programs where adult learners were located.
- Lack of dedicated support: The university lacked the capacity to provide personalized coaching to address individual barriers.
- Lost contacts: The university wasn’t able to keep learner contact information up-to-date as learners moved, often out of the school’s service region.
Adult learners encounter complex barriers of their own, such as financial difficulties, family commitments, or job responsibilities that make it challenging for them to return to school. Dean Kahler, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at U of I, saw the need for a dedicated support structure and consistent outreach that could scale to thousands of stopped out learners, including those who left over five years ago. “The University of Idaho has a good graduation rate,” Dean said. “But we were still very concerned about those students who started a degree from the university and left without achieving their educational goal. We just had to find a way to help more students reach their learning objectives.”
With the number of students we’ve seen re-enroll through this partnership, ReUp has served as an additional recruiter working for the U of I—without the personnel investment.
— Dean Kahler
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, University of Idaho
Partnering with ReUp to engage, re-enroll, and support adult learners
To reach more adult learners, U of I launched a partnership with ReUp Education. The collaboration focused on several key components: expanding the number of adult learners reached, recording their feedback, motivations and obstacles, and offering tailored support based on that feedback. To achieve this, ReUp focused on:
Targeted outreach at scale
Identifying and reaching out to 8,690 stopped out adult learners in total, including 3,124 who last attended in the past five years.
Proprietary technology
Using ReUp’s data-driven platform to track engagement and provide comprehensive insights into student needs and behaviors and recommendations to boost learner success.
Personalized coaching
Providing one-on-one coaching sessions to understand individual challenges and offer tangible steps to overcome them.
Policy recommendations
Suggested changes or updates to policies to better accommodate returning learners and facilitate a smoother re-enrollment process.
Specialized marketing campaigns
Launching tailored outreach campaigns to former U of I students who have expressed interest in returning but have not yet applied.
Getting results with ReUp
Since it began in 2019, the partnership between U of I and ReUp has yielded impressive results. By combining ReUp’s patented approach to data with a student-centered coaching method and scalable, right-time enrollment tools, U of I experienced substantial growth in:
- Engagement: Over 259,246 student activities and 1,307 coaching sessions conducted.
- Re-enrollments: Nearly 565 adult learners have re-enrolled at the university and 248 completed their degrees as of July 2024.
- Revenue: Recovered $3 million in tuition revenue.
Dean shared that the results the school experienced with ReUp were surprising. “With the number of students we’ve seen re-enroll through this partnership, ReUp has served as an additional recruiter working for the U of I—without the personnel investment.”
Leading with a students-first approach
Through the detailed insights provided by ReUp, U of I was able to gain a deeper understanding of why adult learners left school. The most common external barriers cited by adult learners included:
Balancing demands on time
Cost, including financial aid
Access to online or hybrid options
Personal health concerns
Being able to succeed academically
Understanding these personal hurdles allowed U of I to offer tailored guidance, helping each learner navigate their unique circumstances and find a way forward. The school also used student feedback to adapt course structure and academic programs to appeal to adult learners. To continue building on its momentum, U of I has recently launched or is considering opportunities to:
- Improve processes: Ongoing refinement of policies and procedures to better support adult learners.
- Support International students: Expand potential outreach and support to include international students.
- Associate’s degrees: Offer learners who are near graduation the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree and support to help them finish.
In addition to adding some new programs and services, including online programs, U of I has also taken a closer look at policies that may unintentionally act as barriers to adult learners. “The insight gained through the effective one-on-one interactions between ReUp coaches and the students was shared with our university leadership team,” Dean said. “In some cases, we already knew we had some opportunities, but having ReUp share those with campus leaders reinforced the need to revisit policy changes. While not all policies might have been adjusted, we are better informed of what our student experience looks like. That is incredibly valuable to us.”
Six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth
U of I’s partnership with ReUp Education highlights the power of partnership to create a path back to higher education for adult learners. The school has had six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth, an impressive accomplishment at a time when many institutions of higher education are struggling with enrollment.
By leveraging advanced technology and personalized coaching, U of I successfully put students first and supported hundreds of individuals in completing their degrees. “We know that our university has to quickly evolve to meet rapidly changing global demands,” Dean said. “Learning never stops and supporting adult learners and meeting employer’s changing skill-set needs should be a high priority for universities. Through our collaboration with ReUp, we look forward to better meeting our students’ and industry partners’ needs. I can’t wait to see what our innovative partnership with ReUp holds for the future.”
ReUp Education is revolutionizing the enrollment to graduation journey for all adults seeking higher education. Built upon the belief that with the right support, resources, and people in your corner, anything is possible we partner with future-facing institutions and state systems to bring equitable success in higher ed to all.
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Schedule a call with a ReUp team member to learn more about what a ReUp partnership could do for your institution.