5 Recommendations From the 2020 Freshman Motivation to Complete College Report

If there ever was a time for student success leaders to understand the motivational, non-cognitive factors influencing their entering students’ likelihood of being successful in college, it’s now!

By examining the latest data—and the trends over the last 5-10 years—clear patterns emerge of the resources students are identifying as essential to their success. The COVID-19 conditions under which students are beginning college only amplify the need for student success leaders to design their first-year experience programs based on data that includes motivational, non-cognitive indicators.

Last year, we looked at five-year trends in data collected from close to 100,000 entering first-year students who completed the RNL College Student Inventory.

While motivation to complete a college degree remains strong—95 percent of entering students report being strongly dedicated to earning a college degree—there is a decline in the perceived value of a degree:

This year, we extended our lens to observe ten year trends—2009-2019 in motivational indicators of student success. Here are the top 10 requests for assistance in 2019 compared with 2009:

We anticipate that the experience of COVID-19 will only amplify these interests and needs. What is the key “take away” from these insights?

5 strategies to meet the needs and expectations of your incoming students

As you plan to welcome your newest students to your campuses (either in-person or online), here are some recommendations:

1. Build community—Start during the summer, as students begin their college days and intentionally, throughout the entire year.
2. Provide meaningful career exploration opportunities for your first-year students from day one—Think of career development as a “eco-system” that students will encounter both in and outside the classroom, in their interactions with faculty, staff and alumni.
3. Attend to the psychological needs of your first-year students—The 10-year trend data indicates an increase in students’ requests to talk with a counselor about their attitudes toward school, personal relationships, emotional tensions and discouraging feelings.
4. Prepare a “re-enrollment” campaign that reinforces the value of earning a college degree and the resources at your institution that are committed to helping more students be successful.
5. Lay a strong foundation for student success that includes a full first-year experience—Monitor growth and development of your first- year students over the first and second terms of their enrollment.