Open-access colleges are an important pathway to economic mobility for millions of Americans. But graduation rates at these colleges are low--for example, only 36 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen at community colleges graduate within three years. Over the last two decades, MDRC and others have conducted research to build the evidence base…

Because funding for many higher education institutions is based on student persistence and graduation rates, and because competition for online student enrollments is fierce among public and private institutions, quality and competitiveness in online course development, instruction, and administration is imperative. Additionally, because distance…

This guide is intended to help community college leaders understand the costs involved in implementing guided pathways reforms and develop plans for funding and sustaining them. It is based on research at six institutions that have implemented large-scale changes based on the guided pathways model, which focuses on supporting students to enter and…

This paper is a case study of a Master of Library and Information Studies degree program online option that has been unusually successful in retaining and graduating students. Design characteristics of this program that has maintained a retention rate of over 90 percent over five years are described and mapped to the literature on distance…

A study of applicants to an urban public university investigated the effect of scholarship size on attendance and persistence, impact of scholarship students on the school, and potential effects of different distributions of scholarship funds. Results suggest institutions using large scholarships should examine yield and persistence rates. (MSE)

A survey of 94 department heads and 112 graduate supervisors at 5 Canadian universities investigated organizational and administrative practices concerning graduate programs and factors affecting successful completion of/withdrawal from graduate programs. Factors identified include student motivation, quality of supervision, student selection,…