NISS Partner Schools See Marked Increase in First-Year Retention Rates

ATLANTA—Colleges and universities working with the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University saw a dramatic increase in retention rates among first-year students, according to data from Georgia institutions provided to the state’s university system.

The NISS was founded in 2021 to advance and disseminate the latest evidence-based strategies and programs that keep students on the path to graduation. Such programs, including proactive advising, AI-enhanced chatbot communications and career-based programming aimed at first-year students, have made Georgia State a national model for student success. The NISS has so far partnered with more than 70 institutions across the country — including several state university systems — to evaluate the institutional barriers to success on their own campuses and recommend strategies for change.

Seven public universities in Georgia — including three HBCUs — were among the first to go through the NISS’ Diagnostic and Playbook process roughly two years ago and have had a year to implement recommended strategies and programs. Two more Georgia schools — Columbus State and the University of North Georgia — are now undergoing the playbook process.

Of the seven schools working with the NISS since 2021, each of them saw a significant increase in first-year retention rates, far surpassing University System of Georgia averages. NISS’ Georgia partner schools saw an average 6.7 percentage point increase in first-year retention rates from fall 2022 to fall 2023. Georgia schools not working with the NISS saw an average 1.7 percentage point overall increase from fall 2022 to fall 2023.

For some NISS partners, the improvements were dramatic. The first-year retention rate at Albany State University, an HBCU founded in 1903, went from 61.9 percent in 2022 to 76.8 percent in 2023, a 14.9 percentage point increase.

“Albany State has struggled with retention for a long time. To see its retention rate improve by 15 points in one year is transformative, impacting hundreds of students and the fiscal health of the institution as well,” said Timothy M. Renick, the founding executive director of the NISS. “And that’s as close to unheard-of as you can get with these numbers. Retention rates tend to move at a glacial pace. They’re hard to move by leaps and bounds.”

The NISS works with its partners to implement systematic changes benefitting all students, but the greatest improvements across the seven NISS Georgia institutions were realized by students from underserved backgrounds. Retention rates for Black students improved by an average of 8.9 percentage points and for Hispanic students by 7 percentage points.

The University System of Georgia has seen a modest post-pandemic bounce-back in first-year retention rates, which dropped dramatically from 2020 to 2021. But NISS partners in Georgia outpaced the statewide rebound by about 6 percentage points and have even seen increases over pre-pandemic levels.

Tim Renick, the founding executive director of the National Institute for Student Success, leads an organizational meeting.

The NISS’ Diagnostic and Playbook process includes a five-month data-based evaluation of each institution it partners with. Now numbering around 30 staff members, the NISS holds weekly meetings with the stakeholders of each college or university, and engages with 30 to 40 campus practitioners the institution has identified as vital to its student success work. The NISS then custom designs a playbook for each institution, highlighting its challenges along with the steps recommended to address them. The Diagnostic and Playbook also includes key metrics for tracking the institution’s progress. Five of the Georgia institutions continue to receive intensive support from NISS coaches and content-matter experts as the partners work to implement the recommendations.

While the NISS provides intensive consulting support for periods of up to three years, the actual work is done by the faculty, staff and leadership of its partner institutions.

“The NISS provided a holistic and data-informed assessment of my institution’s current student success strategies,” said Raymond Clarke, vice president of Student Affairs at Savannah State University. “It was a thorough campus-wide effort which supported meaningful dialogue and follow-up … and served as a reminder to everyone involved of the greater good and importance of our collective work.”

At Kennesaw State University, which saw a 4.7 percentage point increase in first-year retention from 2022 to 2023, the university adopted new advising technology with adviser dashboards to better track engagement and a centralized management and reporting system. The university also developed a first-year student engagement and identity program and moved to block scheduling to simplify the registration process for students.

“Our partnership with the NISS has been a catalyst for change,” Provost Ivan Pulinkala said. “[There are] six major student success initiatives in progress at KSU that are outcomes of our work with NISS.”

At Fort Valley State University, leaders redesigned the school’s Enrollment 101 program and overhauled its advising process to help more students schedule advising appointments and register on time. Fort Valley has also implemented a group advising program and redesigned its use of email and text messages to foster a more connected and informed student body.

It saw a 5.7 percentage point increase in first-year retention from 2022 to 2023.

At Georgia Southern, university leaders redesigned its first-year experience course to better allow students to engage with their degree program, enhance their information literacy skills and engage more fully with the campus community, among other initiatives.

The university saw a 4.9 percentage point increase in its first-year retention rate from 2022 to 2023.

“We intend to increase retention levels above pre-pandemic record rates by implementing NISS recommended retention initiatives such as adopting predictive analytics, introducing the Keep HOPE Alive program, and developing infrastructure to support coordinated, comprehensive student care,” President Kyle Marrero said. “Georgia Southern’s retention goal for 2026, with the guidance and support of the NISS, is 81 percent.”