Case Study: Helena College University of Montana increases retention and lowers student borrowing with Hobsons' Starfish

Helena College Increases Access to Success with Starfish

Helena College (University of Montana) is a public two‑year college in Helena serving about 1,450 students. After the state adopted outcomes‑based funding, the college needed better ways to boost student persistence and retention; a competitive grant funded a partnership with Starfish by Hobsons in 2012 to redesign student‑success practices.

Helena launched Starfish across orientation, advising, early alerts and campus surveys, engaging faculty and staff to coordinate timely interventions and streamline financial‑aid outreach. Within a year retention rose from 49.9% to 54.8%, student borrowing fell nearly 40%, Early Alert survey completion reached 65–70%, and advisors became more actively involved in academic and completion planning.

Helena College University of Montana

Daniel J. Bingham

Dean/CEO