Advancing Integrated Student Support Systems in Higher Education
Imagine arriving on your college campus for the first time, ready to begin an exciting new chapter of life. As you take in all the sights and sounds, anxiety starts to creep in—how will you manage in this new environment? Building relationships with students and staff, navigating unfamiliar spaces, making decisions with long-term consequences for your future, paying for tuition…the thought of taking on these challenges begins to feel daunting, even overwhelming. You wonder how you’ll be able to find help when you need it—or whether you’ll be able to find it at all.
For many college students, this scenario is all too real. Having access to an effective support system in higher education can be the difference between earning a diploma and falling off track along the way.
Nationwide data indicate that a large percentage of students are confronting roadblocks on the path to college graduation, with only three out of every five students completing their program of study. Additionally, significant racial disparities remain in completion rates: in 2019, Black and Hispanic students experienced completion rates of 44.0% and 50.5%, respectively, compared to 69.0% for White students and 75.7% for Asian students. While the specific obstacles differ widely, many students face challenges such as insecurity related to basic needs, especially food and housing; mental health concerns; rising tuition costs; and an insufficient academic foundation for postsecondary learning.
A pivotal strategy to improve completion rates is to assist institutions in building integrated student support (ISS) systems—comprehensive networks of supports, designed to deliver timely and personalized assistance as students navigate academic and non-academic needs. At their core, these systems aim to ensure that each student connects with the right services at the right time. By doing so, they have been shown to meaningfully improve student outcomes.
The Rennie Center’s newest research report, Advancing Integrated Student Support Systems in Higher Education: A Guidebook for Policymakers, is designed to drive policy conversations on how to expand ISS systems, thereby allowing more students to benefit from comprehensive and responsive approaches to student support.
The report outlines a variety of common policy building blocks that strengthen ISS systems—for instance, establishing new campus services and resources, making support staff more accessible, setting up screening routines and systems, and co-locating offices that deliver supports. For each of these, we link to sample legislation, offering useful models that policymakers can refer to (and build from) as they seek to promote higher college completion rates.
By sharing practical guidance on policy design, our guide serves as a useful reference not only for legislators, but also for advocates, government officials, higher education leaders, faculty members, and any others working to strengthen student supports on campus. Ultimately, we hope this report will drive effective policymaking that helps institutions promote student success, maintaining the promise of higher education now and long into the future.