Don Hossler, Ph.D., Luke Schultheis, Ph.D. and JT Allen conducted a grounded theory study through interviews with dozens of colleges and universities. This whitepaper highlights the best practices for retaining and recruiting adult, online students.
As colleges and universities expand online education, many institutions are still determining how to effectively recruit, retain, and graduate adult online students. myFootpath sponsored this exploratory study to better understand the institutional policies, organizational structures, and student support practices associated with online student success.
Researchers conducted interviews with universities offering 10 or more online programs and ultimately analyzed 24 institutions with undergraduate retention rates of at least 70%. The research examined how institutions organize online education, track student persistence, support returning and stop-out students, respond to workforce needs, and provide services to students balancing education with work and family responsibilities.
The findings reveal significant opportunities for colleges and universities to strengthen their online student success strategies. Among the institutions studied, many lacked a clearly defined organizational structure focused specifically on online student success. Only 34% had established specific goals for online enrollment and graduation, while readily available online student success data was uncommon.
The study also identified several practices associated with stronger support for adult and online learners, including:
- Centralized online student services and concierge-style support that guide students from initial interest through enrollment and continued academic progress.
- Faster transfer credit evaluation and credit for prior learning, which can reduce time to degree and make returning to college more achievable for adult learners.
- Evening and weekend student support, with 64% of participating institutions providing academic advising outside traditional business hours.
- Academic programs aligned with labor-market demand, an area of focus for 62% of institutions interviewed.
Greater attention to stop-out tracking, re-enrollment, flexible start dates, student debt, and the unique needs of adult online learners.
The research suggests that institutions seeking to grow online enrollment cannot treat recruitment and retention as separate challenges. Clear pathways, responsive support, strong data practices, and an intentional strategy for serving adult learners can influence both whether students enroll and whether they ultimately complete their degrees.
Download the full whitepaper to explore the complete findings, institutional examples, conclusions, and recommendations for improving adult online student recruitment, retention, and degree completion.