Evaluation of a City Colleges of Chicago Reengagement Campaign to Help Students Complete Their Degrees
WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility found that community colleges can successfully bring back stopped-out students through targeted reengagement campaigns that address financial barriers, improve communication strategies, and provide comprehensive support.
The Challenge
Millions of students start community college but leave before completing their degree or certificate. Failing grades are not a driving reason for withdrawing. Most leave because of money problems, family issues, and other life challenges. When students leave with unpaid bills, they accumulate “stranded credits” that can’t be transferred or applied toward a degree until they pay what they owe. This saddles them with debt but no credential to improve their earning potential.
To effectively reengage stopped-out students and help them complete their education, colleges need to understand the following:
- which students are most likely to return if given the right support and outreach
- how to design communication campaigns that effectively reach former students
- what types of financial and academic barriers prevent students from returning
- how to build systems that identify and support students at risk of stopping out
- ways to sustain student success once they reenroll
How We’re Taking Action
WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility partnered with City Colleges of Chicago to evaluate their Chancellor’s Retention Grant (CRG) program, which provided microgrants to students with outstanding balances who had stopped out due to financial barriers.
This mixed-methods evaluation was designed to answer the following questions:
- To what extent was the CRG program implemented with fidelity?
- How do students perceive their experiences with the program and its impact on their reenrollment decisions?
- What is the impact of the CRG program on reenrollment rates, and how does this vary by student characteristics?
- What is the financial return on investment for the institution?
Leveraging information from administrative data, student surveys, focus groups with staff and students, financial literacy program participation, and cost-effectiveness analysis, we learned the following:
- Targeted outreach to recently stopped-out students was most effective, with 86 percentage point increases in reenrollment when financial barriers were addressed.
- Multichannel communication strategies are essential, as many eligible students miss single-channel outreach.
- Students need both immediate financial relief and clear guidance on navigating reenrollment processes.
- Automated systems for identifying eligible students reduce staff burden and improve program fidelity.
- Reengagement initiatives can generate positive returns, with tuition revenue from returning students exceeding program costs.
Colleges can take advantage of these findings by developing comprehensive reengagement strategies that combine financial support with robust communication plans, streamlined reenrollment processes, and ongoing academic support to ensure students not only return but complete their credentials.