From Freshmen to Founders: Michigan Students Take on Higher Ed’s Summer Melt Crisis with MeetYourClass
Summer melt — the phenomenon where admitted students fail to enroll — affects 10 to 40 percent of college admits, and traditional orientation tools are failing to engage Gen Z. University of Michigan students created MeetYourClass to tackle this crisis by building digital community experiences that meet students where they already spend time online. The platform aims to improve enrollment conversion and long-term student retention for higher education institutions.
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Key takeaways
Summer melt affects 10–40% of admitted college students, representing a major enrollment challenge for institutions.
Gen Z students rely on platforms like Instagram and Discord, making traditional college engagement tools ineffective.
MeetYourClass, founded by University of Michigan students, offers a peer-connection platform designed to reduce melt and improve retention.
A growing number of colleges are struggling to convert applicants into enrolled students—and to keep them engaged through graduation. With Gen Z students relying heavily on familiar digital platforms like Instagram and Discord for social interaction, traditional college tools for orientation, enrollment, and community-building often miss the mark. According to research, between 10 to 40 percent of students who accept offers at four-year institutions fail to show up in the fall—a phenomenon known as “summer melt.” The stakes are high: universities lose millions annually from melted admits, and students lose momentum toward degrees.
So, what if the solution to improving student yield, engagement, and retention isn’t another third-party platform, but the apps students are already using?
On this episode of DisruptED, guest host Darin Francis, CEO of Harbinger Lane, speaks with Jonah Liss, COO and Co-Founder of MeetYourClass, a student engagement platform born out of Instagram class groups. Broadcasting from ASU+GSV, they discuss how this student-first innovation is helping colleges tap into the social habits of digital natives to drive enrollment outcomes.
Key moments in the episode…
- The student-led origin of MeetYourClass: How Liss and his co-founders evolved a social media hobby into a yield-boosting platform used by 19 universities—with zero marketing spend.
- Why traditional platforms fail: Students often ditch school-provided roommate finders and portals in favor of social apps they’ve used since middle school, contributing to disengagement and summer melt.
- What’s next for MeetYourClass: Plans to integrate housing, events, and student life into a CRM-like platform that starts engaging students well before they apply.
Jonah Liss is the COO and Co-Founder of MeetYourClass, a higher ed SaaS platform that leverages social media to increase student yield and reduce summer melt in university campuses. He has led the company’s growth to over 500,000 users and partnerships with top institutions, earning recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30 and Techstars. With a background in tech, product development, and early-stage entrepreneurship, Liss has also founded a COVID-19 support platform and held roles in investment banking and data science.
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About the author
With 20 years of experience at the intersection of higher education and edtech, Darin Francis brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for driving meaningful change in the sector. Having led teams, crafted go-to-market (GTM) strategies, and worked closely with institutions, Darin is uniquely positioned to help edtech companies navigate the complexities of U.S. and Canadian higher education. Darin Francis, based in Detroit, MI, US, is currently a Managing Partner and CEO at Harbinger Lane Consulting.
