Fighting Summer Melt with Behavioral Data: A New Approach for Enrollment Teams

Summer melt is one of the most frustrating challenges enrollment teams face today.

You spend months cultivating relationships with prospective students.

You invest in nurturing them through the funnel—from first inquiry to deposit—and just when you think your incoming class is set, a percentage quietly disappears.

No formal withdrawal. No call to admissions. Just… nothing.

This costly phenomenon happens silently but leaves a lasting impact.

And in today’s higher ed climate—where demographic shifts and the looming enrollment cliff are putting more pressure than ever on institutions—every melt leads your institution closer to the enrollment cliff.

When a student disappears after months of cultivation, it’s not just a data point lost.

It’s the unraveling of hours spent nurturing a relationship, guiding them through their questions, and working tirelessly to earn their trust.

For enrollment and marketing teams already stretched thin, this kind of silent fallout isn’t just discouraging—it’s deeply personal.

It’s the feeling of momentum vanishing into thin air.

And in this high-stakes environment, even one lost student can have a cascading impact across a class, a budget, or even a department’s future.

In this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer podcast, Troy Singer and I were joined by our returning guest Vanessa Didyk, CEO of ZeeMee.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is there a better way to spot melt risk early?”—this conversation is a game changer.

Understanding the Power of Behavioral Signals to Fight Summer Melt

It turns out the best predictor of enrollment isn’t always a completed form or a submitted deposit.

It’s what students do after that.

Vanessa shared that students who actively engage in ZeeMee’s platform are 15 times more likely to enroll.

And that’s not an isolated insight.

ZeeMee has analyzed over a decade of student behavior and identified consistent engagement patterns that signal strong intent—or early disengagement.

“We know what behaviors correspond with enrollment. It’s not anecdotal—it’s predictive. If someone is exploring roommate matches, they’re thinking ahead. If they’re answering questions in a community thread, they feel like they belong. If they suddenly go silent, that’s a red flag.”

These behavioral cues allow colleges to respond in real time—transforming how they combat summer melt.

Imagine knowing which of your deposited students hasn’t opened the app in two weeks and reaching out before they’ve made a final decision to walk away.

Why Community Matters in Preventing Summer Melt

Vanessa was candid: many institutions still see community as a “nice-to-have.”

But that mindset is outdated.

“Community is the conversion tool,” she said.

“Students don’t want to feel like they’re joining a school. They want to feel like they’re joining their people.”

In our discussion, we unpacked how ZeeMee has evolved from a digital portfolio tool to a behavioral data powerhouse by simply following the student.

“Students weren’t interested in showcasing themselves as much as they were interested in finding each other. We built ZeeMee around that desire for connection, and the data followed.”

When students feel socially connected, they feel committed—especially in the final stretch before college begins.

That sense of belonging may be the most powerful tool in reducing summer melt.

Reducing Summer Melt Without Adding Complexity

One concern we hear from many marketing and admissions teams is, “This sounds great, but we don’t have time to manage another platform.”

Vanessa acknowledged that hesitation and offered this reassurance:

“You don’t need to manage the community. You just need to listen to it. ZeeMee gives you a digest—here’s who’s active, here’s who’s not, here’s what to focus on.”

ZeeMee integrates with CRMs and existing systems so institutions can act on the data without adding a major workload.

The goal isn’t to create more work for teams—it’s to help them work smarter.

And smarter strategies are essential when every moment and message counts toward avoiding summer melt.

Investing in Community

As budget conversations intensify, marketing and admissions leaders are re-evaluating what tools bring the most return.

Community might not have been on the list five years ago.

But today?

It should be near the top.

Vanessa encouraged teams to think differently about their funnel investment:

“You’re spending to get students into the funnel. But how much are you spending to keep them there? That’s where community—and behavioral insights—make the biggest impact.”

ZeeMee’s data shows that community-engaged students are:

• 2x more likely to apply
• 3x more likely to commit
• 50% less likely to melt

When you invest in the post-deposit experience, you’re investing in the part of the funnel where summer melt happens most often.

That’s where behavioral data and community engagement prove their ROI.

Behavior Beats Guesswork

As we wrapped up our conversation, one thing was clear: the future of enrollment strategy is behavioral.

Summer melt doesn’t have to be an enrollment mystery or a budget sinkhole.

With tools like ZeeMee, institutions can move from guesswork to insight—and from reaction to prevention.

The real win?

Supporting students in the process.

When we acknowledge their fears, connect them with peers, and respond to their signals, we create a smoother, more natural transition to college life.

If you’re still relying solely on emails and events to hold your incoming class together, it might be time to rethink your playbook.

Community isn’t a distraction. It’s the difference.

🎧 For even more insights from Vanessa Didyk, listen to the full episode – “Why Community is the New Conversion Tool in Higher Ed Marketing” – on The Higher Ed Marketer podcast.

Need to Execute Faster, Smarter, and with Purpose?

When you’re facing summer melt, slow execution isn’t just inefficient—it’s risky.

At Caylor Solutions, our Embedded Project Management service ensures that your great ideas don’t just sit in a shared drive—they get launched, tracked, and optimized to meet enrollment goals.

We partner directly with your internal marketing and communications teams to embed a strategic project manager who aligns execution with what matters most: student engagement, enrollment yield, and melt reduction.

From community-driven campaigns to targeted outreach based on behavioral data, we help you move quickly and intentionally—keeping your funnel warm all the way to move-in day.

Pair this with our Fractional CMO services and you’ll not only build the strategy—you’ll have the leadership and bandwidth to implement it across departments like admissions and advancement.

The stakes are too high to operate in silos or stall out mid-cycle. 

Let’s work together to ensure your marketing projects are finished, focused, and fighting melt.

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Featured image via Midjourney