Gamifying College Readiness: How Loper Makes the Enrollment Journey More Engaging!
The college enrollment process is widely considered overwhelming by high schoolers, with nearly three-quarters finding it difficult. Loper is an edtech platform that applies gamification principles to make the college readiness and application journey more engaging and manageable for students. By breaking down complex steps into interactive, rewarding experiences, Loper aims to reduce friction and improve enrollment outcomes.
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Key takeaways
Nearly 75% of students find the college application process difficult, often due to complexity rather than academics.
Loper uses gamification to transform the enrollment journey into a more engaging, step-by-step experience for high schoolers.
Making college readiness interactive can help address guidance gaps and improve student confidence and completion rates.
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High schoolers are overwhelmed — and not just by homework. The path to college can feel like a maze of forms, essays, and deadlines, with little guidance on where to begin. A recent survey found that nearly three-quarters of students describe the college application process as “difficult.” For many, that difficulty isn’t academic; it’s emotional. It’s about confidence, motivation, and finding a sense of belonging before they even set foot on campus.
So, can making college exploration fun actually improve readiness and enrollment outcomes?
That’s the question explored in the latest episode of signals in higher ed, where host Darin Francis talks with Eric Menna, Co-Founder of Loper — a gamified college readiness app now engaging more than 300,000 high school students nationwide. Francis and Menna discuss how Loper is reshaping the recruitment experience by blending discovery, data, and design into an engaging, student-first journey.
What you’ll learn…
- Reimagining Student Engagement: How Loper’s “Duolingo for college readiness” approach turns exploration into a gamified journey that builds confidence and curiosity early in high school.
- Data That Drives Enrollment: Institutions gain valuable insights from student behavior and sentiment, helping them target the right students — not just more students.
- AI and the Future of Enrollment: How Loper leverages artificial intelligence to personalize experiences while keeping human connection at the heart of student discovery.
Eric Menna is the Co-Founder of Loper, a gamified college readiness platform helping high school students explore and prepare for higher education. Before launching Loper, he worked in management consulting at Bain & Company and in product strategy at IBM, specializing in market growth and digital engagement. A graduate of Georgetown University, Menna also serves on the Associate Board of The People’s Music School, supporting equitable access to arts education in Chicago.
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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.
