Considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to how gender, race and various other demographic factors shape the odds of majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Such work has identified sizable disparities in access to STEM fields across various dimensions. In turn, these empirical findings have informed…

Objective: Among two-year college students, alcohol and marijuana use, related consequences, and risk factors for use are not well understood. We examined differences between two- and four-year students in alcohol and marijuana use, consequences, and perceived descriptive norms, and explored whether two-year status moderated associations between…

Objective: The prevalence of illnesses related to VPDs is higher among older adults and college students experience them despite decades of vaccine availability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American College Health Association (ACHA) emphasizes that all students should provide vaccine proof or receive immunizations prior to…

We examine the impact of encouragement emails sent to high-performing students in a principles of microeconomics course at a large state university, aimed at motivating them to take additional economics courses and consider an economics major or minor. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find some evidence of an increase in the likelihood…

First-in-family (FiF) students experience significant barriers to university participation and are less likely to seek mental health help. This can contribute to increased dropouts when compared to non-FiF students. Using a mixed methods approach, we aimed to ascertain sources of mental health support and underlying factors for the preferences…

This study describes course withdrawal behaviors in the Texas public higher education institutions and examines the predictors of course withdrawal by using statewide administrative datasets. The findings showed that two-thirds of the college students in the sample withdrew from at least one course, highlighting course withdrawal as a prevalent…

Higher education institutions are utilizing comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) to streamline support, promote retention and success, and address the structural barriers that at-promise students face. Yet, research about the role of CCTPs rarely explores the importance of major and career self-efficacy (MCSE) for these populations,…

This empirical paper proposed collaborative learning as a strategy to enhance performance in Accounting among university students. There has been a notable continuous trend of poor performance in Accounting from the first-year level to the fourth year. Again, there is also a noticeable decline in the number of students majoring in Accounting…

Recent interest in academic well-being has promoted universities to take proactive measures that support students in navigating the challenges of university life, in all its complexity. Drawing on systems theory, this study explored the sources of engineering students' academic well-being at one university in Qatar. Q methodology was applied to…

More research is needed to understand the relationships between imposter syndrome, perfection, and stress, as well as how they might be similar or different among first- and continuing-generation college students. This research study examines the relationships among imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and stress among first- and…

Over a dozen rigorous randomized-controlled trials show that recognizing worries about belonging in a new school as normal and as improving with time can help students stay engaged, build relationships, and succeed. Such "social-belonging" interventions can help students take advantage of opportunities available to them to develop their…

Vertical transfers, those who transferred from a 2-year institution to a 4-year institution, often face multifaceted challenges and lower success rates upon arriving at the receiving 4-year institutions. This quantitative study focused on three forms of social capital related to post-transfer adjustment, retention, and success for vertical…

Many companies use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen job applicants. With more colleges also adopting AI programs to provide feedback on job seekers' applications, will students be receptive to using these tools? This research shows certain key factors -- perceptions of AI program effectiveness and enjoyability, higher networking anxiety, and…

Great effort has been invested in increasing STEM achievement among students, but feelings of low status among underrepresented or otherwise vulnerable students may be creating additional challenges. The present study assessed how perceptions of social status within the classroom--termed subjective social status--aligned with objective course…

Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. CalFresh food benefits, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can help students in California pay for food, but may not reach all eligible students. To better measure student participation in CalFresh, the California Policy Lab (CPL)…