How University of Vermont Reduced Melt at the Finish Line with Navigate360’s Agent Campaigns
Impact Highlights
37.6%
of students included in the agent campaigns registered for Fall 2026
+1pp
increase in retention, narrowing the year-over-year gap from 1.6 to just 0.6 percentage points
+$1.59M
estimated annual net tuition revenue, assuming students persist through Spring
Challenge
University of Vermont (UVM) entered summer 2026 experiencing stronger-than-expected demographic headwinds. Retention was tracking 1.6 percentage points (pp) below the prior year, while enrollment also fell short of projections, contributing to an anticipated budget shortfall.
Despite staff spending the summer reaching out to students through email campaigns, mass texts, and other traditional methods, roughly 200 active students remained unregistered for any Fall 2026 courses.
Solution
Three weeks before classes began, UVM partnered with EAB to launch three Navigate360 Agent Campaigns that included 202 unregistered students.
The agent sent personalized, two-way text messages and used students’ responses to understand what might be preventing them from registering. Using university-approved information and response rules, it answered routine questions, shared resources, and guided students to the appropriate offices. With routine questions handled, staff could focus on helping students resolve more complex barriers, such as registration holds, financial concerns, and advising needs.
“The Agent Campaigns were a low-lift, high-impact tactic that helped us course-correct in the late summer months. I’m excited to see how the impact scales with earlier deployment in future terms.”
DR. JAY JACOBS, VPEM
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
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Agent Set Up
UVM set up their first Agent Campaign in a working session with EAB in just 45 minutes.
Impact
During the campaigns’ three-week run, UVM successfully reengaged students who had not responded to months of traditional outreach and saw 76 students register for an average of nearly 13 credits each. The agent also identified common barriers to registration as well as which students already transferred or decided not to enroll. This allowed staff to stop unnecessary follow-up and focus on students who still needed help enrolling. The agent acted as both a scalable enrollment nudge and an early-warning triage layer.
Results of Agent Campaigns at UVM
Summary of Combined Impact
202 students included in three combined campaigns
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37.6%
of students included in the agent campaigns registered
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$1.59M
estimated annual net tuition revenue, assuming students persist through spring
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10 days
median time from first outreach to registration
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83% of registered students were sophomores, juniors, or seniors
This outcome was especially meaningful at UVM, where continuing-student outreach varies across their decentralized campus, unlike the consistent communication first-year students receive.
Individual Campaign Performance
Separated by focus population
Agent Campaigns Identify Barriers so Staff Can Focus on Next Steps
Unlike a standard text campaign that sends reminders and leaves staff to manage replies, Navigate360 Agent Campaigns deploy an AI assistant to continue the conversation. Using UVM-approved information, the agent answered routine questions, identified what was delaying registration, sent follow-up reminders, and automatically stopped outreach when a student registered or confirmed they were not returning. Staff reviewed responses and stepped in when students needed direct support.
More than half of students (54.5%) responded to the Agent Campaign, and 11 confirmed plans to transfer, withdraw, defer, or not return. This helped UVM stop unnecessary outreach and focus staff attention on students who could still enroll.
In January 2026, UVM’s Provost charged the team with centralizing student support, leading to the launch of Ask UVM, a one-stop center powered by Navigate360. In future campaigns, students who need personal assistance will be routed to Ask UVM, which connects them with the appropriate campus office and tracks their needs through resolution.
Fall 2026 Registration Rates by Barrier
Percentage of students who encountered each barrier and ultimately registered
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78%
of students who needed registration or course-planning help registered for Fall 2026
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86%
of students who needed to schedule an advising appointment registered for Fall 2026
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50%
of students who had questions around cost, billing, or financial holds registered for Fall 2026
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