Intercepting our students to keep them on track

Posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

Day one of the fall term has arrived, arguably the most exciting day of the academic calendar. Thousands of new and returning students are back on Algonquin College’s campuses and their presence has generated a lot of positive energy as they begin or continue their academic journey.

Over the next ten days, the College community will be watching closely as some students either change or postpone their plans to train for a new career. This is the time of year that the College experiences its highest number of student withdrawals.

While choosing to withdraw from college is often an emotional decision, it is also a logical step for students who are second guessing their program choice at Algonquin College. Most students are aware that if they withdraw within the first ten days of their program they will be refunded for the majority of their tuition, and therefore the early days of a term always have the highest number of students who leave.

To reduce withdrawals, the College utilizes an initiative called Intercept, though students know this as the Program Withdrawal Process. Intercept is a retention initiative that has been in effect at Algonquin College since 2016. It is led by the Academic Success department in collaboration with the Registrar’s Office, the International Education Centre, the Academic Area and Career Clarity. Here’s how it works: when a student meets a College employee, such as a program coordinator or admissions officer who is made aware that they are planning to withdraw from their program, they are referred to the Program Withdrawal website to book an appointment to speak with someone about all of their options.

Students often aren’t aware of all the options available to them and sometimes assume they either need to continue in their current program or leave the college altogether. However, in some cases it might benefit the student to drop to part-time studies or switch to another program that better aligns with their goals It could also mean enrolling in an academic upgrading program to help the student be better prepared for a later entry into a post-secondary program.

The goal of Intercept it to provide the individual student all the options that are available to them to allow them to make an informed, independent decision based on their personal circumstances. This one-on-one meeting allows the student to share their story with an informed employee who can act as a sounding board to help the student come to their decision.

Whatever the outcome is, Intercept has been successfully helping the College retain students in the critical first few days of a term for several years. It’s an initiative that aligns with the College values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect because it gives students the personal attention they deserve at a time when they are feeling vulnerable and unsure that they are making the right decision by attending college.

There’s strong evidence that Intercept is a highly successful initiative. Last fall, there were 1,062 Intercept appointments and 608 or 57 per cent of the students chose not to withdraw from the College after their meeting. A closer look at the data indicates that 259 of the students elected to stay in the program they were registered in, 193 students transferred to another program in the fall semester, 107 students deferred their admission to a future semester and 49 students chose other options, such as part-time studies, rather than moving forward with withdrawing from college.

Intercept is a great example of a student success initiative that supports the overall health of the College’s enrolments. By tracking the results of these one-on-one interventions with students, the College is able to make data informed decisions on the effectiveness of this retention strategy and build on it. For example, Intercept now starts before the first day of classes, helping to save students who may be getting cold feet as Day One approaches.

So, as a new school year begins, be mindful that there are students who are questioning their college plans. If they are considering withdrawing from their program, Intercept is one way that we can help them make sure they have an opportunity to speak to a College employee about their options.

Any students considering withdrawing from their program should be directed here.

Any staff or faculty who have questions please reach out to the Academic Success team at academicsuccess@algonquincollege.com.


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