College enrollment and student retention levels continue to decline. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, undergraduate enrollment fell by 1.1%. That means that it has surprisingly returned to pre-pandemic enrollment levels.
With culturally affirming college access programs such as ScholarPrep Nation, we believe it is possible to direct high school students in the direction of their higher education dreams.
Although community colleges saw the smallest declines in enrollment, the slowdown doesn’t guarantee that we’ll soon have more graduate students than we did last year.
In today’s article, we’re going to detail the 3 steps toward better undergraduate enrollment. Furthermore, we’re going to discuss the importance of student retention and why college education matters. Read on!
Step #1: Boost College Enrollment by Demystifying the College Application Process
In California, community college enrollment dropped to its lowest level in 30 years. As community colleges are struggling to find their footing after the pandemic ebb and flow, it’s important to advise high school graduates on the academic path they should take.
Since college admission and enrollment continue to decline, the value of college degrees is now being questioned. Additionally, the context of student loan debt has children and families second-guessing their next steps.
It’s up to high school counselors, educators, and school leaders to emphasize the importance of a bachelor’s degree and the scholarship opportunities that are readily available to students, particularly minority ones.
The college application process has been often regarded as a difficult and confusing ordeal, especially for African-American, first-gen students.
Pursuing extracurricular activities, leadership experience, and financial literacy during one’s senior year is not a good idea. In fact, it gets increasingly difficult to get into college without preparation.
The college prep should start as early as eighth grade. That way, both the kids and their parents will have plenty of time to collect admission materials and work on improving academic achievement levels. For that, they will need to feel constantly engaged. They will need to feel like they belong to a greater community of like-minded individuals.
ScholarPrep Nation takes engagement a step further by providing a nationwide, Afrocentric network of young scholars of color. Together, we aim to demystify the oftentimes tedious college application process and get as many students enrolled as possible.
Step #2: Use Tested and Tried Student Retention Strategies
Student debt is showing no sign of slowing down. In fact, the 2022 statistic by Forbes Advisor showed college costs are up to $1.75 trillion, in both federal and private loans. This particular detail keeps plenty of students from wanting to attend college.
As attendance levels also drop, it’s time for colleges to put some solid student retention strategies into practice. Deficit-based approaches are the reason why so many kids choose to drop out of college.
While engaging the majority of students enrolled may seem like an impossible task, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The kids are resilient enough to understand the importance of a college degree. All they need is to be held accountable and be given the individual support they require.
Undergraduate students need advisors for support. The road toward college success requires a helping hand that can lead the way. A proactive, culturally affirming approach should do the trick.
Step #3: Increase College Enrollment and Retention Levels with ScholarPrep Nation
There’s been significant growth in primarily online institutions. Remote students and new high school graduates know just how to leverage the internet. For that reason, ScholarPrep Nation thought of a way to revolutionize the meaning of what a nationwide community means.
Meet the ScholarPrep Nation online network of academically and culturally empowered young Black scholars! Our innovative initiative is meant to demystify the entire academic journey, from high school graduation, and college admission, to career, and life.
Our uniquely Afrocentric approach is meant to engage parents and young scholars by speaking their exact language and addressing the things that matter most to them. Our accountability meetings and live webinars are certain to put the kids back on the right track.
Furthermore, we aim to motivate each scholar to take full ownership of their academic journeys by organizing discussions with professional coaches, motivational speakers, and wealth builders.
Building confidence from the inside out will lead to increased college admissions, better enrollment levels, as well as to higher retention levels. We need to come together as a community and address the declining enrollment proactively.
Make ScholarPrep Nation Your Trusted Partner Toward College Success
Academic achievement should not be a problem for our young scholars. We believe that a four-year degree is now entirely achievable. Black students need to feel engaged, supported, and valued above all.
ScholarPrep Nation is unlike any other college access program. We believe that the loneliness and skepticism experienced by the kids and their families are completely warranted.
It’s time to quit stereotyping and using academically punitive measures against students of color. It’s time to put an end to the systemic racism that’s currently plaguing our institutions and instead focus on increasing academic achievement levels, one student at a time.
The nationwide ScholarPrep Nation community is a definitive step in the direction of educational equity. We invite you to join us and enjoy the immeasurable benefits of being part of a community of experts.
Contact us now! We’re excited to get to know you and find out more about your academic goals.
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