This benchmark report provides insights into college student persistence, progression, and retention for first-year, second-year, and transfer students at four-year private and public institutions, taken from a survey of college and university officials. This report features 14 key benchmarks in four major categories: (1) annual expenditures on…

What needs and concerns do second-year college students have that may be impeding their success? This report goes beyond the usual predictive indicators of GPAs and credits earned to explore a wide range of student attitudes, needs, and motivations that influence college completion, with separate findings for second-year students attending…

This report contains ratings of effective practices used to improve student success, retention, and completion, based on a Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) electronic poll of undergraduate officials at U.S. colleges and universities in June of 2017. The report includes: (1) effectiveness rankings for 28 general strategies and tactics, such as one-on-one…

This national report reflects the current state of college student satisfaction at four-year institutions, two-year public colleges, and career and private institutions. It examines the satisfaction and priorities of more than 578,000 college students across the United States. The report details what students identified as their biggest issues…

As they start college, the vast majority of incoming freshmen exude a strong desire to complete a degree, but many also express early concerns and attitudes that reduce their motivation and put them at risk for attrition. This report looks beyond standardized test scores and high school transcripts to explore a wide range of these noncognitive,…

Learn how adult students rate key aspects of their college experience. This report includes data on: (1) Factors that lead to adult students enrolling in their programs; (2) Instructional strengths and challenges; (3) Instructional and advising effectiveness; (4) Registration processes and access to courses; (5) Campus climate; and (6) Admissions…

Adult students (age 25 and older) make up almost 40 percent of the national undergraduate population. Since they are often balancing their college experience with work, family, and other responsibilities, adult students may have different priorities and challenges. What can campuses do to serve these students better and help more of them succeed?…

Ten years ago when Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) published its annual study of freshman motivations, those students were entering college in the shadow of the worst recession since the Great Depression. That report, which examined attitudes of students from 2009, provided insight into their motivations, attitudes, and needs in the midst of a very…

Higher education has seen significant changes in the student experience in the past 10 years. For the past decade, everything from student attitudes about college to the technology they use every day has impacted their satisfaction with, and perception of, the college experience. This report is a comparison of student satisfaction, separated by 10…

As entering students begin their college careers, they have been exposed to many mixed messages about whether college is "worth it"--from the media and public figures, to parents, to peers. There have also been significant changes in demographics, economics, college preparedness, and other key areas that may be influencing how freshmen…

The Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys are the national standard for benchmarking student satisfaction in higher education. Since 1994, more than 2,900 colleges and universities have used the surveys to evaluate students' concerns that influence student success, college completion, student recruitment, strategic planning,…

The "2018 National Freshman Motivation to Complete College Report" examines the noncognitive motivations of college freshmen at the beginning of their first year and as they progress throughout that year. This report provides key insights into how freshmen are gauging their potential to graduate, what barriers (financial, academic,…

For more than two decades, the national standard for benchmarking student satisfaction in higher education has been the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys. Since their beginning in 1994, these benchmark surveys have been used by more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities to evaluate students' concerns that correspond with…

This report examines three focal points for understanding incoming first-year students' motivation to complete college: (1) academic motivational barriers and opportunities; (2) social motivational barriers and opportunities; and (3) financial motivational barriers and opportunities. [For "2016 National Freshman Motivation to Complete College…