Executive Brief: Ana Insights
Executive Brief: Ana Insights
2025
Findings from the 2024-25 Academic Year
Upswing
CONTENTS
Background: About Upswing and Ana 3 About Ana, Upswing’s SMS Engagement Tool 4 Introduction to the Ana Insights Report 2025: 5 Insight #1: Proactive Messaging Can Reduce Stressors Early on in the Semester 6 Background Information 6 Campaign Analysis 6 Recommendations 7 Insight #2: The Demand for Basic Needs Support Is Widespread 8 Background Information 8 Campaign Analysis 8 Recommendations 9 Insight #3: FAFSA Confusion Limits Student Engagement; Increases Demand for 10 Scholarship Opportunities Background Information 10 Campaign Analysis 10 Recommendations 11 Insight #4: Armative and Supportive Wording May Reduce Stigma When Discussing 13 Academic Support Background Information 13 Campaign Analysis 13 Recommendations 13
Background: About Upswing and Ana
Upswing is a mission-driven, integrated student services ecosystem dedicated to supporting the success and retention of non-traditional and underserved college students. Founded with the belief that every learner deserves equitable access to academic resources, Upswing partners with colleges and universities to bridge gaps in student support—both inside and outside the classroom.
Through its digital platform, Upswing connects students to a wide range of services including on-demand tutoring, mental health resources, writing support, critical needs support, and success coaching—all accessible within their learning management systems. By combining human support with data-driven insights, Upswing helps institutions strengthen engagement, improve academic outcomes, and reduce barriers that disproportionately affect rst-generation, working-adult, and online learners.
Each year, Upswing serves nearly 1 million students across nearly 100 higher education institutions. Its holistic approach emphasizes not only academic achievement, but also the social and emotional well-being that drives long-term persistence and graduation.
About Ana
Ana is Upswing’s virtual co-pilot — a conversational SMS-based message tool that delivers more than 1 million conversations annually. Ana is designed to proactively engage students, answer their questions, and connect them with the resources they need most. Built to operate as a digital ally, Ana offers personalized, human-backed interactions that encourage persistence and timely action.
Unlike static chatbots that only react to inquiries, Ana is an intelligent engagement tool that initiates meaningful conversations. It can remind students about key academic deadlines, direct them to tutoring and advising resources, and even check in about nonacademic factors like motivation, time management, or feelings of belonging.
Ana’s insights are driven by a combination of behavioral data and natural language understanding. Through millions of student interactions, Ana has become a powerful lens into the lived experiences of today’s learners—revealing trends in student stress, condence, and engagement that help institutions make data- informed decisions.
By translating student voice into actionable insights, Ana provides schools with key data that then empowers participating institutions to respond to emerging challenges before they affect retention. These data points include more than 200 referrals per month per partner, and nearly 9 escalations annually.
Ana Referrals per 1k Students by Type
245.75 242.88 200
158.2 120.85 117.98 0 #personaldev #schoolresource #upswingtutoring #advising #tutoring
Upswing
Introduction to the Ana Insights Report 2025:
The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the key ndings from the 2024-2025 academic year as collected by Ana, Upswing’s SMS engagement tool. This report aims to illuminate the challenges and successes experienced by students across various institutions, particularly focusing on non-traditional and historically marginalized groups. By sharing these insights, we hope to inform and support administrators in enhancing their strategies for student engagement and success.
Data for this report was gathered through Ana’s proactive and reactive messaging campaigns, which send millions of messages to students each year. Each message was designed to offer information, reminders, connections to resources, and encouragement. The responses from students, whether solicited by Ana or initiated by the students themselves, provided a rich source of data reecting their needs, concerns, and sentiments. Our Student Success team, trained to act as an extension of our
partners’ campuses, played a crucial role in analyzing this data to improve campaign content and offer timely support to students.
The report details specic insights derived from data from the 2024-2025 academic year. These insights are categorized into four overarching themes: nancial aid and stability, academic support, student experience & belonging, and student sentiment. Each insight provides detailed analyses, industry trends, and actionable recommendations based on the data collected.
Ultimately, the goal of this report is to equip educational administrators with the knowledge and insights needed to foster a supportive and responsive environment for all students. By leveraging the data and recommendations provided, we hope to enhance the overall student experience, increase engagement, boost retention, and support the academic and personal success of every student.
FINDINGS FROM ANA INSIGHTS 2024-2025
INSIGHT
Proactive Messaging Can Reduce Stressors Early on in the Semester
Background Information
Each semester, Ana sends a “Getting the Semester Started” campaign within the rst two weeks of classes. The goal is to equip students with essential information to help them feel prepared — whether that’s understanding their course schedule, accessing textbooks, taking care of administrative tasks, or managing time and motivation.
Fall 2024: Getting the Semester Started
Spring 2025: Getting the Semester Started
Campaign Analysis
This data reinforces a clear theme: before students can focus on academics, they need clarity about their nancial situation. The phrasing differs in the top-performing choices between semesters (“nancial aid updates” in fall vs. “disbursements & refunds” in spring), but the underlying concern students have around their nancial stability remains true.
Upswing
While these insights were enlightening this year, it was nonetheless not surprising given so many changes the students have experienced,” says Melvin Hines, CEO and co-founder of Upswing. “If institutions have had trouble planning for and understanding what their budgets might look like in twelve months, we must presume that our students are facing even more of a burden here.
Indeed, these concerns have been expressed externally as well. In July, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators released its survey results from college administrators. The results indicated that student confusion around the cost of college had increased dramatically.
Change in Financial Aid Challenges
Recommendations to Institutions
Challenges Reported
In a subsequent interview to BestColleges.com, Melanie Storey, CEO and President of NASFAA, expressed concern of the trickle-down effect on students from the downsizing of the Education Department.
Upswing
INSIGHT
The Demand for Basic Needs Support Is Widespread
Background Information
Ana’s Community Resources campaigns are designed to connect students with support for non-academic needs — including food, housing, nancial support, childcare, and healthcare. For many college students, non-tuition expenses are a dening factor in their ability to remain in school. Over the years, the Community Resources campaign has proven to be a very important message we send as it showcases that Ana is here to provide more than just academic or administrative support.
Fall 2024: Community Resources
Spring 2025: Community Resources
Campaign Analysis
In both semesters, help with paying bills was the top choice among students who engaged. In Fall 2024, 42% selected this option, and in Spring 2025, that number remained nearly identical at 42.5%. This academic year was the rst year we included the option for assistance with bill payments, something we decided to do as a result of the deluge of questions Ana received from students asking for help with expenses. That option, as broad as it is, reects the nancial pressures students face.
Left unresolved, these challenges can lead to signicant declines in student enrollment and graduation rates. A recent study published by Ellucian highlights just how impactful these challenges are in today’s students. According to the study, 59% of students considered dropping out of college due to nancial distress. 57% said they have had to choose between tuition and basic needs such as food and clothing.
increase in the number of students reaching out for help with basic needs — not just food or housing, but everyday essentials that make staying enrolled possible,” he says.
Upswing
These challenges are not peripheral to student success; they are at the heart of it”, states Williams.
of students had to choose between college expenses and basic needs
of students reported that nancial aid packages inuenced their choice in school
of students would switch their top choice school for just $5,000 more
“Food assistance”, which was the leading choice in previous years, was the second most selected option both semesters. This reinforces ndings from previous years that food insecurity is still a concern amongst students.
Recommendations to Institutions
We encourage institutions to review their upcoming messages to students in order ensure that those outreaches include information about basic needs support available on campus or in the community. By being proactive with your students, you can help them realize that support is available, and that they don’t need to struggle alone.
Upswing
INSIGHT
FAFSA Confusion Limits Student Engagement; Increases Demand for Scholarship Opportunities
Background Information
Each fall, Ana sends a dedicated FAFSA campaign to help students prepare for and complete their nancial aid applications for the following academic year. However, the 2024–2025 cycle created unprecedented challenges. The FAFSA, which the federal government had initially announced would open on October 1, 2024, was unexpectedly delayed until December 1. Because of this delay, the FAFSA campaign wasn’t sent until the rst week of December, a time in the semester when students are highly focused on nal exams and end-of-semester assignments.
Recognizing these challenges, Ana delivered dedicated messaging in both the fall and spring semesters to help students nd alternative sources of nancial support.
Campaign Analysis
This was the second year students ran into trouble with the FAFSA process. The launch of the Better FAFSA in the previous school year introduced many new complexities to the application process for non-traditional students. The delay of the FAFSA for a second time may have caused students to feel frustrated, disillusioned, or distrustful of the FAFSA process as a whole.
Fall 2024: FAFSA Reminder
FAFSA isn’t just paperwork for new traditional students; it’s hope,” says Dr. Haugabrook. “It’s the bridge that connects a parent, a veteran, or a working adult to the opportunity they’ve fought hard to reach. When that bridge becomes unstable through funding challenges, it threatens to cut off entire groups of learners who already stand at the margins of higher education.”
Upswing
Upswing’s Ana isn’t the only place students sought support. According to the Government Accountability Oce, there were more than 5.4 million calls to the Department of Education’s Call Center seeking help with FAFSA challenges. Unfortunately, due to understang, 74% of those calls were never answered.
Total Calls to Education’s Call Center, First 5 Months of FAFSA Application Cycle, 2024
Total calls 5.4 million
Total calls unanswered 4.0 million (74%)
Total calls answered 1.4 million (26%)
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Education data. | GAO-24-107407
According to the GAO report, “Call center representatives advised some students to just ‘try again later’ rather than proactively notifying them when the problem was resolved. At times, this took months.” The impact was that there were 9% fewer FAFSA applications completed compared to the previous year.
FALL 2024: Scholarship Season
Spring 2025: Scholarships / Money Resources
This shift in behavior from previous years can also likely be attributed to challenges with FAFSA. Facing increasing nancial pressure, students who continue to purchase higher education appear to be seeking alternatives to FAFSA funding options.
Upswing
When nancial aid systems falter, it’s non-traditional students who feel the tremors rst,” says Dr. Haugabrook. “The increase we’re seeing in students asking Ana for scholarship support is a clear signal: the safety nets that once sustained them are fraying.”
Recommendation to Institutions
Responsive Messaging Strategy:
In light of such challenges, it is becoming increasingly important for institutions to remain on high alert for any delays or changes to the FAFSA process for the upcoming school year. To prevent any possible miscommunication around the FAFSA, the timing of proactive message campaigns can signicantly impact the likelihood for student success.
Ongoing and Enhanced Messaging Around Financial Aid Alternatives:
The nancial aid system is one that we will continue to carefully monitor going forward. Because the FAFSA process has become less predictable, institutions
The nancial aid system is one that we will continue to carefully monitor going forward. Because the FAFSA process has become less predictable, institutions
has become less predictable, institutions should place greater emphasis on alternative forms of aid and nancial
Cross-Campaign Financial Aid Support:
Funding challenges pervade many of the other challenges students have. As a result, even when marketing other resources such as mental health, or career support resources, institutions should consider highlighting non-based nancial support resources as well.
Upswing
INSIGHT
Armative and Supportive Wording May Reduce Stigma When Discussing Academic Support
Background Information
While the Academic Support campaign was designed to introduce students to available academic resources, it also revealed a deeper behavioral trend around how students perceive tutoring. In Fall 2024, we tested a subtle shift in language by presenting the academic support option with a more encouraging tone.
This was an intentional effort to reduce the stigma often associated with asking for academic help. Many community college students view tutoring as something reserved for students in crisis, rather than a tool for skill-building or ongoing support.
In Fall 2024, the Ana support team found that by introducing simple, subtle, and positive armations around getting academic support, students were much more likely to elect to try out receiving academic support. In fact, the subtle shift in language improved its ranking to become the top choice among students who responded.
The improvement in engagement reinforces a key idea: how we talk about support inuences how students engage with it. In the fall, the casual, arming phrasing likely made students more comfortable selecting tutoring. In the spring, when the option was presented more plainly, interest declined.
This suggests that even students who are open to help may need reassurance that tutoring is not remedial or only for those in crisis. This distinction is especially important in today’s learning environment, where students are managing increased academic pressure, cognitive fatigue, and external pressures. Framing tutoring as a proactive and normal part of academic success makes it more approachable.
Recommendations for Institutions
We encourage institutions to review how tutoring is described across student-facing channels. Presenting tutoring as part of an academic success plan, rather than a last resort, can help normalize its use and reduce stigma for students across all performance levels. Based on the positive response to supportive language in the Fall 2024 campaign, Ana will continue to present tutoring as a resource for all students, not just those in crisis.
We encourage institutions to review how tutoring is described across student-facing channels. Presenting tutoring as part of an academic success plan, rather than a last resort, can help normalize its use and reduce stigma for students across all performance levels. Based on the positive response to supportive language in the Fall 2024 campaign, Ana will continue to present tutoring as a resource for all students, not just those in crisis.
Access Even More Insights From the 2025 Ana Report for Your Institution
The complete 2025 Ana Insights Report includes 13 total insights similar to the ones expressed above. We also include raw data, detailed analysis on our campaigns, greater feedback and recommendations from partner institutions and more. If you’re interested in learning more about the Ana Insights Report, or are interested in bringing Ana to your institutions, you can reach us at