Case Study: Ramapo College of New Jersey achieves expanded academic advising and improved student success with Hobsons' Starfish

Ramapo College of New Jersey Expands Academic Advising to Improve Student Success

Ramapo College of New Jersey, a public liberal arts institution serving about 6,200 students, faced limited and slow academic advising: support was siloed in three departments, outreach relied on manual processes, and only about 30% of students received timely interventions before academic deadlines. The college needed a scalable, campus‑wide solution to identify at‑risk students and expand advising reach.

In 2013 Ramapo implemented Starfish by Hobsons, consolidating paper surveys into digital progress reports, enabling proactive Success Plans, and connecting 12 offices with predictive analytics. Results included over 50% progress survey completion per term, 77% faculty participation, 61.7% of warned first‑year students meeting with advisors (up from under 20%), 80% of surveyed first‑years reporting positive impact, improved athletic compliance, and continued support via an EDUCAUSE iPASS grant.

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Joseph Connell

Assistant Vice President of Student Success