New Jersey Community College First-Year Experience Redesign

Program Description:

After encountering research that showed that small administrative challenges can prevent learners from completing their degrees, two community colleges in New Jersey, Hudson County Community College and Union College of Union County, New Jersey, participated in an initiative to identify ways to better support first-year learners. 

The colleges chose to address these bureaucratic barriers via learner-centered design. They enlisted researchers, college staff, and learner advisory panels to help identify concerns and prototype various interventions. First-year learners had reported feeling that they would benefit from more guidance around registration and course enrollment. They asked for clearer communication from schools about administrative tasks that could hinder their ability to attend classes and graduate. 

The colleges arrived at five primary interventions, and Hudson County Community College implemented them in the 2025-2026 academic year: 

• Financial aid guides to clarify aid offers and renewal processes
• An exercise intended to facilitate learner belonging
• An academic planning guide, to be filled out with an advisor
• Clearer notices about satisfactory academic progress
• “Journey maps,” which serve as to-do lists for enrollment, registration, and other key tasks  

Impact:

There is a qualitative assessment being conducted on the trial program, which ran for the 2025-2026 academic year. Findings are expected in 2027.

This pilot at Hudson County Community College is being supported by MDRC as part of their On the Path to a Degree (OnPath) 2.0 initiative, which was funded by Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation. In OnPath 1.0, a predecessor project that included participation from 11 community colleges in New Jersey, schools improved communications to learners to encourage action to stay enrolled. OnPath 2.0 is designed to address structural barriers identified during OnPath 1.0 using a behavioral science approach.  

Population Served: 

First-year learners who may be struggling with the administrative burdens around course registration, enrollment, and financial aid. 

Learn more here.

Page last updated in August 2026