Colleges Struggle to Stop ‘Melt’: Students Who Commit, Then Don’t Show Up
It is a growing scourge for colleges, a phenomenon they call “melt.”
The term refers to students who commit to an institution in the spring, then don’t show up in the fall. Some placed deposits at multiple schools and went elsewhere; others might not be attending anywhere because of financial challenges. Melt has become enough of a problem that administrators are developing strategies on how to fight it year-round.
“They were saying, ‘Yup, I’ll be there. I’ll be there.’ And all of a sudden, they’re not here,” said Ken Woods, vice president of enrollment at Whittier College near Los Angeles, which had a 17% melt rate this year. “It’s like, what happened?”
The problem is growing nationwide, with some schools seeing 20% of their students disappearing after placing their deposits. Amid enrollment pressures driven by a shrinking student population, colleges are implementing anti-melt tactics—known as “freeze” strategies—to prevent competitors from poaching their committed students and to keep young people engaged with them throughout the year.
Typically, to commit to a school, a student pays a nonrefundable deposit of a few hundred dollars, later credited toward tuition. But in recent years, more students are placing deposits at two or even three schools, research shows.
Their mentality: “Let me ‘optionality’ all of this till the very last minute,” said Ana Homayoun, academic adviser and author. “I used to think May 1 was the finish-line, decision day, and now, almost in some cases, I think it’s like halftime.”
Some families double-deposit so they can continue negotiating aid packages through the summer. Students submitted an average of 1.4 deposits each for the class that started in 2025, up from one in 2019, according to a report from consultant EAB. Higher-income families are more likely to place more than one deposit, the report said.
“That wreaks havoc for colleges,” said Angel Pérez, chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “You don’t know who’s coming until they actually show up in September.”
