You may be familiar with summer learning loss; the loss of academic skills during summer vacation. But have you heard of summer melt? Plainly, summer melt happens when students who’ve gotten accepted into college – and fully plan to enroll – never make it to campus in the fall.
According to Andrea Harper, former Breakthrough Central Texas staff member and postsecondary success strategist, summer melt affects 10-20% of all college-intending students and as many as 40% of first-generation and low-income students.
There can be a number of reasons for this drop-off. But one thing is overwhelmingly clear. This is not an individual problem but a systemic one.
“It’s not a motivation problem,” Harper explained during a recent learning session with Breakthrough affiliate staff. “It’s a support gap at a critical transition point.”
Between high school graduation and college matriculation, students are expected to navigate multiple and often complex steps like financial aid verification, registration deadlines, healthcare requirements and forms, technology barriers, and a host of other unfamiliar administrative processes – often without support from their high school or future college.
In one example Harper shared, a college-intending student ended up in an endless loop of miscommunication between their college’s financial aid department, the IRS, and a parent with whom they had no contact and whose financial information was necessary before the student could enroll.
So what do students need to navigate this season? Three things that Breakthrough has been providing for more than four decades: trust, confidence, and preparation.
Harper found that students who experienced summer melt often had a shame component to their decision: after encountering obstacles, they quietly withdrew instead of reaching out for help. However, when there is a foundation of trust built, the kind that Breakthrough students build with their mentors and adults, they are more likely to ask for help, respond to an offer for help, and share what problems they’re facing.
Not only do Breakthrough students have a trusted network, they also have developed skills in self-advocacy. Students practice speaking up, asking questions, presenting their ideas, and taking positive risks in a supportive environment. Those experiences might seem small in the moment, but over time, they build the confidence students need to send an email to a financial aid office, ask for clarification, or advocate for support when something goes wrong.
Research continues to show that college access alone is not enough. Students thrive when they have the support to navigate the transition points between educational milestones. Summer melt is one of the most consequential of those transitions.
When it comes to preparing students for college success, the lesson is clear: relationships matter.
We must surround students with trusted adults who can help them navigate challenges – and who remind them that challenges are a normal part of the journey. Breakthrough’s model intentionally cultivates the trusting relationships we know are critical to reducing summer melt. Long before students step onto a college campus, they know what it means to turn to their community to find support. This foundation prepares them not only to get accepted into college, but enroll and succeed once they’re there.