Avoid the “Summer Melt”
No, it’s not how we all feel during the NC summer!
What is it?
Researchers use the term “Summer Melt” to refer to the large number of students who don’t make it to college even though they intend to go.
A study at Harvard found that 10–40% of students who report intending to go to college don’t actually enroll in college in the Fall after their high school graduation. This is even more likely for students from low-income backgrounds.
One way we can avoid “Summer Melt” is by helping our NC graduating seniors complete the FAFSA.
What can we do?
For educators: This Summer Melt Handbook has steps, resources, and interventions school districts can use to help students. Interventions include:
- Proactive personal outreach to college-intending seniors
- Digital outreach to college-intending seniors (think: send mass texts using images from the Social Media Toolkit!)
- A combination of personal and digital outreach
For students/families: This Federal Student Aid tips for success addresses 4 TIPS for incoming Freshmen (great to share with your graduating seniors). Tips include:
- Stay in contact with your schools
- Read all your mail and email (add your college’s email to your contact to avoid emails going to spam!)
- Track your activities with a checklist (like this one from College Board)
- Check the status of your financial aid
- Complete the FAFSA
- Contact the financial aid office at the colleges/universities you listed on the FAFSA to ensure the institution received your financial aid documents. Double check!
Want to learn more?
National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has you covered: