Higher education is experiencing a pressing crisis, with a surge in student dropouts, plummeting tuition revenues, and program closures impacting over 10,000 U.S. institutions. 

About 33% of undergraduates fail to complete their degree programs, leaving approximately 5 million students annually needing educational completion and support. This problem has significant financial and career implications for students - as of 2023, student borrowers were burdened with about $135 billion in student loans. However, only a fraction of students are reaping the benefits of their college degree due to inadequate advisory support and unsatisfactory career outcomes. The average student-to-career services ratio across colleges is 408 students to 1 advisor. In some situations, it is typical for the ratio to be 2000:1. Decreasing budgets and staff attrition at colleges further accelerate the ongoing dropout crisis.

The result : More than 100 college programs have closed down, and around 60% of colleges have experienced a revenue decline in recent years.

So, how can higher education recapture student interest in degree completion? How can university leaders utilize technology to improve student success and graduation rates?

In January 2024, Advisor.AI launched “Kelly,” an AI-driven academic and career advising software platform for universities. “Kelly” has been proven to enhance college student satisfaction by 2X, boost administrative ROI by $1M+, and improve university advisor efficiency by 30-50%.

The solution is designed to benefit a wide range of individuals involved in the education sector, including high school students, college students, counselors, university advisors, and higher education decision-makers and leaders. It offers a range of features that can help streamline and simplify the decision-making process related to higher education, providing valuable insights and guidance to individuals looking to make informed choices about their academic and career paths.

Whether you're a student looking to explore different options, a counselor seeking to offer more effective guidance, or a university leader looking to optimize your institution's offerings and attract top talent, “Kelly” can help. Over time, by providing valuable data and insights into educational trends, student preferences, and workforce demands, the tool can inform policy decisions and strategic initiatives to improve educational outcomes and promote regional economic growth.

After conducting extensive research across more than 50 U.S. colleges involving stakeholders ranging from students, career service professionals, department leaders, and higher education executives, Advisor.AI has summarized key insights on how universities can evolve program offerings, advisor impact, and meet students with where they are at with simple, personalized and a hybrid advising approach.

Download the case study to learn more.