With One in Three Students Considering Leaving College, Podium Education Expands Career Discovery to Help First-Year Students Find Purpose

Students in the 2026 spring pilot more than doubled their clarity about their strengths and interests and reported a 15-point rise in intent to stay in college, as the for-credit course scales to 10 universities

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Podium Education today announced the expansion of Career Discovery to 10 universities this fall. Designed for first-year and exploratory students, the for-credit offering gives students early, hands-on exposure to real industries and authentic workplace challenges through partners like L'Oréal, Crocs, and IDEO, paired with guided reflection that helps them gain clarity about their strengths and interests, define their degree path, and build a strong sense of purpose and belonging on campus.

The initial program was piloted in spring 2026 at eight universities, including Appalachian State University, Cleveland State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Kent State University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Michigan State University, Southern Methodist University, and The University of Texas at San Antonio. This academic year, Career Discovery adds cohorts at Boston University and Florida International University (FIU). This back-to-campus season, several campuses reported filling course sections within hours of registration opening, signaling strong student demand for early, career-connected learning.

On average, only 34% of incoming students at U.S. public universities graduate in four years, and National Student Clearinghouse data show the first year is the most critical point for student attrition. As colleges and universities reckon with both the demographic cliff and ongoing questions about the return on investment of their degrees, reimagining the first-year experience is a powerful lever for retaining students through the second year and on to graduation.

A strong sense of purpose and belonging, especially in the first year, helps students stay on track to complete their degree. According to the Lumina Foundation-Gallup State of Higher Education 2026 study, one in three enrolled students considered stopping out in the past six months, and 21% of them cited "I don't feel I belong" as a reason. The same study found that career payoff is the strongest motivator for students to enroll and stay enrolled.

High-impact practices, including internships, research with faculty, and capstone projects, improve retention, boost student confidence, and build career readiness, but they often come too late in the undergrad experience or reach too few students. Independent research from the University of California, Irvine, released in September, found that Arizona State University students in Podium's work-integrated learning high-impact practice were retained at rates up to 10 percentage points higher than their peers.

Exploration shouldn't be left to chance; by intentionally embedding it into the first-year experience, Podium's Spring 2026 Career Discovery student survey shows it makes a meaningful difference. By the end of the initial pilot program, students' clarity around strengths and interests more than doubled, 80% of participants reported greater career confidence, and self-reported intent to persist in college increased by 15 percentage points.

Designed as a fully digital, highly scalable experience, Podium connects students with more than 70 industry employers and the professionals behind them, while university advising and career communities collaborate to turn those experiences into actionable next steps under full institutional academic oversight. Each week, students step inside a new company, meet industry professionals in live online sessions with peers from across disciplines and backgrounds, and complete a project tied to an authentic workplace challenge.

"Early identification is about creating opportunities for students to explore their interests, develop their skills, and envision their future careers," said Nzingha Williams, Lead Talent and Performance Management Consultant at Wells Fargo. "Through our partnership with Podium and Career Discovery, Wells Fargo is connecting with talent earlier and helping students access experiences that foster confidence, career readiness, and professional networks. Together, we are expanding pathways for students to discover opportunities and unlock their potential."

"At UT San Antonio, we're intentional about helping students connect their academic experience to meaningful career pathways from the moment they arrive on campus," said Heather Shipley, Provost and Senior Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas at San Antonio, which has been a Podium partner since 2023. "Career Discovery provides that connection by giving first-year, exploratory, and transfer students earlier opportunities to pursue their interests, build confidence, and see a future for themselves within their chosen fields. It's a natural extension of UT San Antonio's dedication to embedding experiential learning throughout the curriculum, a commitment recognized through APLU's 2025 Excellence in Student Success Award."

Built-in reflection helps students identify what resonates with them, what doesn't, and how to translate emerging interests into majors, career paths, and a broader sense of purpose. Career Discovery introduces first-year and exploratory learners to a wide range of industries and roles early enough to inform key academic decisions.

"Career Discovery has been an exciting new offering for us to have at BU," said Amie Grills, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at Boston University. "By encouraging exploration in the first year, we're helping students build critical purpose and direction earlier in their college journey. It's a great complement to Podium's other proven offerings, as it provides students with a foundation of industry exposure and exploration that gets them thinking about how their coursework connects to potential career paths."

"Only one in five provosts say their institution is very effective at work-integrated learning, and that isn't good enough. It's what students want most from college, and it underpins public confidence in higher education," said Chris Parrish, co-founder and president of Podium Education. "The institutions that will thrive over the next decade are making these experiences core to the academic journey, beginning in the first year."

For more information about bringing Career Discovery to campus, visit: https://www.podiumeducation.com/career-discovery-experience

About Podium Education

Podium Education is the leading experiential education company partnering with universities and industry to embed scalable, real-world, high-impact practices directly into the undergraduate degree for credit. Podium works with 100+ universities, including ASU, Penn State, and Rice, and  70+ leading employers like L'Oréal, OpenAI, IDEO, and Wells Fargo. Podium's experiences deliver fully digital, for-credit learning that strengthens student retention, confidence, and career readiness. Students from all backgrounds gain early career experience, explore potential pathways, and build the skills and competencies employers expect—through hands-on, work-based learning experiences that align with workforce needs. For more information, visit Podium Education at www.podiumeducation.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Podium Education