“It became very apparent to me that times are changing in higher education, and family members are now true partners in their students' journey, and we need to align with the times. How do we shift the narrative so that our partnership with parents is just that — a partnership with parents and families — and not something that's seen in a combative tone. We needed to move to something that's more tied to student success.” 

Subir Sahu, PhD, Senior Vice President for Student Success at Drexel University, has had a front-row seat to the changing expectations of college families — and the impact their inclusion can positively have. After decades of institutions trying to exile “helicopter parents” from the dialogue, today’s students and parents want a more inclusive and supportive experience.

When institutions embrace this and welcome families into the conversation, they do more than just build community and help parents serve as their students’ most trusted advisors and supports — research has shown that when parents receive updates on student progress, the student is more likely to remain enrolled. On average, student retention was 8.3% higher for students of parents receiving such alerts.

Parent engagement increases student retention

Sahu and Drexel have seen that impact first-hand. 

“For us at Drexel, a few years ago, our retention was in the low 80% range. We really tried to create a culture of student success, which family engagement was central to. What we tried to build culturally here at the institution is about really centering everything we do around the student experience… and a critical portion of the student experience is the involvement of their family members. It was one of the missing pieces that we really needed to lean into.”

After scaling family communications, programming and involvement, Drexel’s retention rate is now at 89.5%. It’s 4% higher for students whose families receive notifications on critical topics like financial holds and enrollment status.

Retention gains are highest for certain populations

Research also showed increased rates of student retention for particular populations. At Duquesne University and Auburn University, the gains in retention for Black and Hispanic students with family members receiving these updates were significantly higher than for their White students with family members receiving the same information.

One might assume there is more retention to gain for these populations, but digging deeper, Hispanic students already had the highest retention rate (over 89%) at Duquesne and the highest gains. 

“The reality for families is not everyone is starting off from the same starting point,” added Sahu. “Part of this work is to create a strong foundation for all of our students, and that’s what you're seeing in this data — the mechanisms through which we can deliver solid information so that family members can engage with their students.”

The research saw similar gains for two other key populations: Pell-eligible students and first-generation students.

Drexel has a large percentage of Pell-eligible students.

“We need to provide the infrastructure so that families are operating with good information,” said Sahu. “It allows the student to call home and say ‘I just experienced X’ and the parent to start from a place where they can offer the support to their student, so they can find success or the resources that they need on campus when they inevitably run into those challenges.”

With the right information, parents can be impactful advisors

A concerning reality (especially for IT teams): 61% of parents have their students’ college IDs and passwords. 

In a self-service world, families will find a way to get the information they feel they need to best support their students.

“Parents and family members are already involved,” said Sahu. “We need to meet them where they are with the right set of factors and information, so together, we can make the best decisions as it relates to the student.”

In fact, there is certain data that, when shared from the student record to the parents, helps from a retention perspective. Financial aid details, holds and student status changes can be correlated to improving retention.

“When I was in college the last thing I would want is for somebody to engage with my parents. And I was once one of those administrators that said cut the cord with parents and it's about students going off on their own,” admitted Sahu. “But times change, and higher education has changed. Students' desire for what they're looking for in their experience has also changed, and it's incumbent upon us as senior administrators to evolve with those times. All of this is about student success, and family members are a critical part of that journey.”