Community colleges lose a staggering number of students before they even show up in official retention data. For this episode, I interviewed Dr. Rita Karam of RAND Corporation. She and her colleagues at RAND examined this often-overlooked group across 15 colleges in California, Texas, and Kentucky. The findings? More than 60% of students are lost between application and census date, with the majority leaving due to a mix of personal barriers and institutional processes.

This episode unpacks the research and offers practical steps colleges can take to reduce these losses and re-engage students.

Key Findings

• Enrollment leakage is real and large: About 10–15% drop after enrolling but before census. Another ~50% are lost between application and enrollment over 60% combined loss.
• Institutional processes matter: Complex onboarding, unclear handoffs, and overwhelming communication push students out just as much as financial or personal challenges.
• Financial aid is a critical barrier: Students often don’t realize aid requires a declared major or other criteria. Many are dropped when aid decisions aren’t resolved in time.
• Students want relational, not transactional, support: They seek caring, transformative relationships with advisors, not one-off transactions.
• Timing is crucial: Roughly 30% of students enroll within two weeks of term start, overwhelming advisors and limiting the quality of advising.
• Few colleges systematically track these students: Data systems are fragmented, making it hard to identify where and why students disappear.

Key Chapter Makers
00:00: Introduction
02:45: Why Students Leave Before Census
06:20: Institutional vs. Personal Barriers
11:10: The Role of Financial Aid in Early Attrition
15:30: Communication Breakdowns During Onboarding
20:40: Timing Matters: The First Two Weeks
26:15: Tracking Students Who Disappear
31:00: Effective Re-Engagement Strategies
36:20: Rethinking Advising: From Transactional to Transformational
41:50: Practical Steps Colleges Can Take Now
47:00: Closing Thoughts & Key Takeaways

For the full transcript and detailed show notes, including ACTION STEPS, visit the episode page.

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