Intended Outcomes

The goal of this initiative is to leverage students' established relationships with  advisors to encourage them to connect with resources if they are having difficulties that have led them to not register for the coming term.

If the student is not returning to USC, advisors gather context as to why.

Timeline for Intervention

Fall: Early December - Spring Add/Drop Date

Spring: Mid-May - Fall Add/Drop Date

Intervention Process

1. The UAC collects a list of all students who are not enrolled for the upcoming term (and are eligible to register and not graduating).
2. The UAC opens an EAB case for each student and the advisor of record is automatically assigned. Advisors use cases assigned to them to manage outreach to their non-registered students.
3. Advisors reach out to students that are not registered with multiple “nudges” (see sample communication below).
4. Over the course of the intervention (from start until the day after add/drop), advisors can close the case with one of two reasons: NRI- Contact Made or NRI- Student Not Returning (descriptions below)
5. After add/drop, advisors can close all remaining cases as Student Unresponsive to Multiple Approaches if no contact was made with the student.

Note: Undergraduate Academic Advisors are asked to use multiple modes of communication (email, text, phone call) as part of this this initiative.  All other Academic Advisors are highly encouraged to do the same for consistency purposes.  

Expand allSample Text Message

Hi, this is [first name], your advisor.  I noticed you’re not registered for [upcoming term]. How can I help you get registered? 

Sample Email

Hi [student],  

 I noticed you’re not registered for [upcoming term]. How can I help you get registered? I look forward to hearing from you. 

Best, [your name]

Closing Cases in Navigate

When closing a case, advisors will select a reason according to how the case was resolved:

Select "NRI- Contact Made" if the advisor made contact with the student via phone call, text, or email and addressed enrollment challenges.

Select "NRI- Student Not Returning" if the student indicates that they are not returning to USC. This may be communicated in previous appointments/messages or in response to NRI outreach. Advisor will leave the reason(s) for not returning in the comments for the closed case. Please also encourage the student to complete the Non-Returners Survey.

Select "Student Unresponsive to Multiple Approaches" if the student never made contact with the advisor. This is ONLY to be used after add/drop.

Select "Alert Issued in Error" if there is an outside reason the student is not registered - for example, they are participating in Study Abroad, National Student Exchange, etc. 

What should advisors do if they learn during the semester that a student does not plan to return to USC?

1. Document the information in EAB Navigate to ensure that there is a record of the student's intent.
2. Provide the Non-Returners Survey to the student and request that they share their reasons for not returning.
3. When a Non-Registered Initiative (NRI) case is assigned at the end of the term, close the case as "Student Not Returning." In the case close comments, note that the student had previously informed you of their intent to not return. No outreach is required when you know the student's intent to not return.

What should advisors do if the non-registered student has been dismissed from their major?

Reach out to the student to see if they have a plan for their backup major and if they have met with the relevant advisor. You may also refer the student to Exploratory Advising to discuss a new major and course plan. Close the case as "Alert Issued in Error" with comments about your referral actions. 

Success in the Non-Registered Initiative

Through the Non-Registered Initiative, advisors have significantly reduced the number of students each term who choose not to return to USC. 

NRI Longitudinal Outcomes