Case Study: Walden University achieves 26% higher term-to-term retention with Anthology One Stop

Measuring the impact of financial aid and student support services on course registration

Walden University, a longtime leader in online higher education serving about 48,000 students, faced a surge in financial aid calls in 2019 that led to long hold times, overtaxed agents, and risk of student attrition. To address this, Walden partnered with Anthology and deployed Anthology One Stop to supplement its in-house team and provide around-the-clock financial aid support.

Anthology delivered 24/7 support via phone, online self-service, and mobile apps, fielding more than 141,000 financial aid calls from roughly 60% of Walden students between 2019 and August 2020. Students who interacted with Anthology saw a 26% higher term‑to‑term retention rate versus the control group, with registration gains across doctoral (27%), master’s (26%), and undergraduate (26%) levels, large increases across GPA bands (e.g., 2.0 GPA students registered nearly 73% more), and students with financial holds 31% more likely to register.

Walden University