Colleges pour an extraordinary amount of time and money into first-year experience programs, yet many students still disappear between sophomore move-in and junior year.

Known as the “sophomore slump,” this remains an under-addressed retention gap even as national persistence rates inch back toward pre-pandemic levels.

Nearly 76% of the 2.4 million students who started college in fall 2021 returned for their second year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s 2023 Persistence and Retention report.

More recent Clearinghouse data show that for the fall 2023 cohort, second-year fall semester persistence reached 77.6%, and second-year fall semester retention—students who remained enrolled at their original institution—stood at 69.5%.

Those figures represent a recovery, but they still mean roughly one in four first-time students do not make it to a third fall semester.

The steepest drop-off often occurs after the highly structured, resource-rich first year, when early-alert systems, orientation programs, and mandatory advising taper off.

What Changes in Year Two

Research on sophomore experiences points to a cluster of challenges that tend to converge in the second year, including major and career decisions, financial stress, shifting social groups, and moves off campus that can weaken ties to support networks.

As students leave residence halls and intensive first-year seminars, they may feel less connected academically and socially even as expectations increase.

National survey data compiled by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition show that institutions have historically invested far more in first-year support.

In that survey, academic advising was the most common primary sophomore initiative. Relatively few campuses reported dedicated second-year living-learning communities, credit-bearing sophomore seminars, or structured career exploration programs.

At the same time, financial and life pressures remain major drivers of attrition. Clearinghouse data show that work and family obligations compound academic hurdles, particularly for older and nontraditional students.

Against that backdrop, a growing number of institutions are treating the second year as a critical transition point rather than an afterthought.

Building a Sophomore Success System

The University of South Carolina has developed a coordinated Carolina Experience framework that explicitly extends support beyond the first year.

Within that framework, the Sophomore Success hub provides events, planning tools, and a month-by-month Second Year Success Road Map that guides students through milestones such as meeting with academic advisers, exploring study abroad, pursuing internships, and engaging in leadership opportunities.

The office also curates resources for students transitioning to off-campus housing, recognizing that this move can disrupt a sense of belonging.

Living-learning communities play a complementary role. Faculty-led communities house students with shared academic or personal interests on the same floors and connect them through mentoring and co-curricular activities.

For sophomores, these communities can re-create some of the structured engagement that often dissipates after the first year.

National research links living-learning communities and other high-impact practices—such as undergraduate research, service learning, and internships—to stronger engagement and persistence, particularly for students from historically underserved backgrounds.

Rather than assuming students will find these opportunities independently, the university deliberately steers second-year students toward them as part of its retention strategy.

At the University of California, San Diego, Student Retention and Success offices coordinate a portfolio of initiatives designed to support students beyond their first year.

Within that structure, the 2nd Year Experience program focuses on sophomores and other upper-division students, with particular attention to first-generation students.

The program connects participants to high-impact practices tailored to their goals, including career readiness experiences and community-building activities that strengthen purpose and networks.

A complementary initiative, the 2Excel program, provides year-long retention and support through workshops, coaching, and peer communities, layering holistic academic, personal, and professional development.

By treating the second year as a key inflection point for identity formation and career planning, rather than simply a bridge to upper-division coursework, the university aims to keep students both academically and emotionally connected.

From Isolated Efforts to Intentional Design

Experts say addressing the sophomore slump requires a deliberate shift in how campuses structure the undergraduate journey.

An analysis from Ruffalo Noel Levitz argues that retention efforts historically focus more heavily on first-year students, even as persistence beyond the first year becomes increasingly critical in a shrinking enrollment environment.

Common elements across effective sophomore-focused strategies include:

• Second-year seminars and courses that help students clarify academic pathways, explore majors, and connect coursework to career goals.
• Living-learning communities and residential models that engage sophomores through shared academic or interest-based themes, reducing isolation.
• Targeted advising and early-alert systems that extend predictive analytics and case management into the second year.

The goal is not to replicate the intensity of the first-year experience, but to align support with the evolving needs of students choosing majors, navigating finances, and imagining life after graduation.

As national second-year persistence and retention rates gradually recover, the data suggest institutions can no longer treat the sophomore slump as inevitable.

Instead, campuses such as the University of South Carolina and the University of California, San Diego demonstrate that intentional design—backed by real-time data and a sustained focus on belonging—can transform a vulnerable year into a powerful point of momentum.