The Real Reason Students Leave
A student on the brink of dropping out rarely cites coursework alone. Yes, academic challenges play a role, but more often, it’s something quieter: a sense of not belonging, a lack of encouragement, or the feeling that no one would notice if they left. These underlying factors, often invisible to data dashboards, are the real drivers of attrition.
Higher education has an opportunity to confront this reality—not just with new policies, but with renewed commitment to the human side of persistence.
What Students Need Most
When students decide whether to stay or leave, one factor rises above the rest: whether they feel part of a supportive community. A strong network of peers and campus touchpoints can reduce isolation, foster belonging, and provide the encouragement students need to push through academic and personal challenges. Support doesn’t just help students succeed. It helps them stay. And when that support feels accessible and authentic, its impact is even greater.
This vision isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. When students feel connected—to peers, to purpose, to a community invested in their success—they stay. And when support is embedded into the everyday experience of college, students are more likely to seek it before they’re in crisis.
Why Peer Support Works
Peer-to-peer support is one of the most underutilized tools for retention. It offers something uniquely powerful: credibility through lived experience. When a fellow student says, “I’ve been there,” it disarms stigma and builds trust in ways that institutional messages often can’t.
This kind of support doesn’t just help students understand content. It helps them see themselves as capable. It reinforces belonging. And it cultivates confidence that spills into other areas of their college journey. For underrepresented and first-generation students, peer support can be especially transformative, providing an accessible bridge to the resources and relationships that help them thrive.
Scaling Without Sacrificing Connection
Of course, providing this kind of support at scale is a challenge. Many institutions rely on stretched professional staff or rely too heavily on passive services that don’t reach students who need them most.
Peer programs, when designed with intention, offer a scalable, sustainable alternative. By making peer learning visible, investing in student leadership, and integrating support into the fabric of campus life, colleges can create ecosystems where help is easy to find and even easier to accept.
The goal isn’t just more tutoring sessions or higher usage rates. The goal is cultural: to send every student a clear message that they are not alone—and that someone, often another student, is ready to help them succeed.
Where We Go From Here
Retention strategies can’t begin and end with data. They must reflect what students are telling us with their actions and their absences. If we want more students to persist, we need to reframe academic support not as a service to offer, but as a community to build.
Peer support is one of the clearest ways to do that.
If your institution is exploring how to expand that support, let’s connect. Knack partners with colleges to make peer learning more accessible, scalable, and centered around students.
