Many prospective college students make it through applying, only to be derailed by seemingly small hassles in the enrollment process. Successfully enrolling in college can be especially challenging for adults, veterans, transfer students, and other applicants whose unique circumstances are not always catered to in the enrollment process.

Fayetteville State University (FSU), a historically black college in North Carolina, wanted to ensure all of its admitted students had the support they needed to complete enrollment and make it to day one of classes. So we took a close look at the enrollment process from the perspective of an applicant—specifically, a military-affiliated adult transfer student.

We found that it can be hard for admitted students to keep track of what to do, how to do it, and by when. And, even when students know what to do, completing those steps can be tricky. This led students to miss important steps, like submitting residency documentation to qualify for in-state tuition or meeting with advisors to start registering for courses.

Our approach

​​To address those challenges, ideas42 and FSU developed personalized, interactive enrollment road maps for each prospective student. Each road map included a checklist of steps with all the information needed to complete enrollment and was added to the main dashboard of the applicant’s online admissions portal.

We also sent strategic email and text message communications to share this resource, remind students to complete specific steps, and highlight how FSU accommodates adult students.

The Results

When we piloted these interventions with military-affiliated adult students at FSU in summer 2022, prospective students who experienced the road map and text messages felt more positively about the enrollment experience and FSU in general.

• We found that clarifying the enrollment process helped students complete key steps:

• Military-affiliated adults who recalled receiving text message reminders were 18 percentage points more likely to meet with an advisor:

• Engagement with the road map peaked at times when strategic email communications were sent (resources can only be helpful if students know about them!):

While we did not observe a statistically significant impact on admission acceptance or course registration rates, preliminary results and qualitative feedback are promising. Since 2022, we have implemented the road map elsewhere and continue to find encouraging results.

What students say…

Want to try this at your school?

• Access guidance and templates to build your own dynamic, personalized, actionable enrollment road map to help students complete the necessary steps to make it to Day One of classes.

• Read more details about how we implemented this at FSU.

• Email us at education@ideas42.org with any questions.