Philadelphia, PA — Feb 23, 2026 — Higher education is facing a structural challenge. Enrollment pressure continues to intensify. Student acquisition costs are rising. And too many capable students disengage before institutions can intervene.

Nationally, leaders are recognizing that academic performance alone does not predict persistence. Connection does.

Belonging — once viewed primarily as a student life priority — is increasingly understood as one of the strongest predictors of retention across institutional types.

In response, Yellowdig today announced its Guaranteed Retention Outcome, a formal commitment to deliver measurable retention impact when its structured, research-informed community model is implemented under agreed conditions.

Beginning this year, Yellowdig will guarantee a minimum 1% improvement in retention (or melt reduction). If that lift does not materialize under agreed implementation criteria, Yellowdig will refund the institutional investment.

“This is not a promotion or a sales tactic,” said Shaunak Roy, Founder & CEO of Yellowdig. “It is an alignment mechanism. If we believe structured academic community drives persistence, we should be willing to share responsibility for the outcome.”

Over more than a decade of studying and implementing academic community models across onboarding, courses, and program milestones, Yellowdig has observed a consistent pattern:

When students experience meaningful community in their academic journey, retention improves.

Institutions implementing the full Yellowdig model often see higher lifts — up to 5% in measured settings — particularly among at-risk student populations. However, the company selected 1% as a responsible and measurable baseline for its formal guarantee.

A 1% retention improvement is not marginal.

For many institutions, it represents:

• Preserved tuition revenue
• Improved cohort stability
• Reduced recruitment pressure and acquisition costs
• Stronger student momentum across programs

Retention is no longer solely a student success metric. It is a strategic and financial imperative increasingly scrutinized by boards and executive cabinets.

At the same time, as learning environments become more digital and increasingly mediated by AI tools, institutions face a growing challenge: students can feel isolated even while technically “participating.” Yellowdig is designed as a counterbalance — technology that creates belonging at scale rather than fragmentation.

Yellowdig does not position technology as a silver bullet.

The guarantee applies when the platform is deployed using a structured, research-informed community model across defined student touchpoints. The approach is designed to amplify existing teaching, advising, and student success efforts — not replace them.

Measurement under the guarantee is:

• Benchmarked against historical retention baselines
• Evaluated within agreed student populations
• Reviewed collaboratively with institutional partners

“We believe clarity builds trust,” Roy added. “Institutions deserve partners willing to be measured by impact.”

The Guaranteed Retention Outcome is particularly relevant for institutions working on:

• Melt prevention and enrollment yield
• First-year experience redesign
• Online and hybrid engagement strategy
• Cohort-based program delivery
• Advising and milestone support initiatives
• Institution-wide belonging and retention efforts

Higher education institutions seeking measurable accountability in retention strategy are invited to engage in conversation.

“Higher education deserves partners willing to stand behind their impact,” Roy said. “We are ready to be that partner.”