Nudge power in higher education: altering choice defaults to reduce student failure and associated debt

More students from non-traditional backgrounds will attend university in the future. Universities must have effective Support for Students Policies and should limit instances where students fail with little to no personal benefit, such as ‘zero-fails’ (failed units with a cumulative mark of zero). The aim of this action research study was to develop and test a choice architecture intervention to reduce zero-fails. In 2022 and 2023, 596 students at risk of zero-fails had their choice architecture changed and were asked to re-affirm their desire to continue studying by replying to an email communication. Thirty-five per cent of students did not reply and were unenrolled while 37% of students replied and chose to unenroll. The remaining students opted-in to continue studying, of which 72% failed more than half of their units. Selective alteration of students’ choice architecture who are at risk of zero-fails can mitigate unnecessary debt.