The Path to Enrollment: How Guided Pathways Drives Higher Ed Success

Need to Know 

• Higher education institutions have been adopting the Guided Pathways model to enhance enrollment amidst growing competition.
• The Guided Pathways approach addresses these challenges by simplifying program navigation, assisting students in decision-making, maintaining their progress, and defining relevant learning outcomes.\
• Our client Olympic College utilized Guided Pathways, leading to a notable 9% increase in enrollment.

As the competition for post-secondary enrollment continues to intensify, institutions are setting themselves apart using a powerful model known as Guided Pathways.

The approach connects the student journey with learning and career outcomes, providing colleges and universities with a roadmap to align every aspect of their student experience — from program structure to website design — with well-defined pathways for success.

When our client Olympic College used the Guided Pathways model for their website redesign, it supported a 9% increase in enrollment in just one year.

Keep reading to learn how the Guided Pathways approach can help your institution increase enrollment, boost student completion rates, and improve equity.

What is the Guided Pathways model?

The Community College Research Center (CCRC) is an organization dedicated to community college research and reform.

In 2015, researchers at the CCRC developed the Guided Pathways recommendations to increase college graduation rates and set students up for success nationwide.

Based on over eight years of data, their research concluded that many students get lost or take unnecessary courses when schools use the standard self-serve community college model, discouraging prospective students and causing others to drop out before completion.

The Guided Pathways approach suggests simplifying the student journey with structured choices, supports, and learning outcomes to help more students reach their goals and complete their programs. 

Within the model, there are four pillars:

1. Forge a clear path for students to achieve their goals. The typical course selection model which allows students to pick from an array of courses complicates the process and can confuse students about what they need to achieve their degree requirements. 

   On a Guided Pathways campus, students are guided by clear program maps to help them progress toward their goals, whether they are to graduate, transfer, move into advanced studies, or gain employment.

2. Assist students in choosing their path. Before students can begin selecting their programs, the need for mandatory remedial courses often delays their progress. This setback can not only be discouraging but a deterrent to continuing the process.

   Institutions following Guided Pathways incorporate remedial courses into the pathway that leads students into their chosen programs, aligning foundational skills like math with their intended fields of study.

3. Help students stay on track. It's common for students who start at community colleges to abandon their program or fail to transfer successfully due to the challenges that arise along their educational journey.

   Accommodations like flexible class schedules can make the difference between students dropping out and completing their program despite the obstacles they may face throughout their time in school.

4. Establish learning outcomes. According to the 2018 Job Outlook Survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, around half of employers think that many students lack the necessary skills for workplace success coming out of post-secondary programs.

   To address this, schools should define learning outcomes at the program level that match students’ employment needs, support their soft skill development, and assist them in pursuing further education after graduation.

What problem does the Guided Pathways model solve?

Delivering an exceptional online experience has become a fundamental part of the student decision-making process.

The Guided Pathways model offers a framework for aligning your program offerings and overall online journey with student needs, allowing your school to stand out from the competition and improve student enrollment.

How can higher ed institutions improve enrollment with the Guided Pathways model?

Relying solely on the Guided Pathways model doesn't guarantee institutional success.

To make an impact on enrollment and program completion, institutions need to make use of additional tools and customizations that address the specific needs of their students.

In order to adapt the model for your institution, we recommend the following:

• Complete in-depth research to understand what your students need.
• Use plain language so students can understand and follow your program paths.
• Adjust your online experience to guide students toward programs that align with their learning outcomes. For example, this could include improving your website’s search functionality.
• Offer tools for comparing programs, allowing students to evaluate multiple options simultaneously and choose the most suitable one.
• Enhance student portals by integrating measurement tools to gauge students' progress in meeting their learning objectives.
• Offer access to human support if online resources are unable to meet all of your students’ needs.

Additional wrap-around tactics that have been useful for Northern clients include:

• Paid search and paid media buys to help raise awareness.
• CRM strategies to segment and personalize digital engagement touchpoints.
• Leveraging email marketing tactics to help provide relevant and timely information to students based on their online interactions.
• Using social media to show students potential learning outcomes, with real success stories about current or past students who have achieved their education goals.

Our team at Northern collaborates with colleges and universities across Northern America to build experiences tailored to student needs, and a growing number are utilizing the Guided Pathways model due to its effectiveness in driving enrollment and student success. Additionally, the approach has become government-mandated in certain states.

Whether you’re looking to improve your institution’s website, program offerings, or overall student experience, the Guided Pathways model is an incredible tool that can help you stand out from competitor institutions.

Want to chat with our experts about how to use Guided Pathways to increase enrollment? Contact us to get started.