Crises are common. An estimated three million students drop out of post-secondary school in the United States annually due to a small, unexpected expense, such as a medical bill, an increase in childcare costs, or a housing fee.
Research conducted by NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) found that 70 percent of U.S. post-secondary institutions offer some form of emergency aid (EA), yet most requests are handled on a case by case basis. Very few institutions have an established program that ensures student retention. Students are falling through the cracks because many institutions do not have effective programs in place.
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Reos Partners has been working with higher education leaders in the Emergency Aid Lab on a solution to the emergency aid challenge – a program that helps institutions design EA programs that increase student retention and completion. Through the lab, more than 100 higher education administrators, faculty, students, and other leaders in the field worked together over 18 months to determine the core components of an effective EA program.
Reos Partners is now translating these learnings into a program for adoption by institutions across the United States, with the aim of dramatically reducing the incidence of students leaving school because of an unexpected financial shortfall.
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