Unlike many earlier models of student persistence that viewed the process of student persistence through the lens of the institution, the model proposed here looks at persistence through the eyes of students. It draws on the research on student motivation, student perceptions, and the impact of student networks on student engagement to propose a…

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…

University and college leaders are tasked with enhancing student outcomes with fewer resources. Student retention is one such key outcome of interest for many policy makers as well as for university administrators. Over the years, administrators have turned to High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as Learning Communities (LCs) to aid in retention.…

Approximately 30% of students who enter the postsecondary education system do so through 2-year colleges. The majority of these students intend to earn a bachelor's degree, but most leave college before earning a diploma from a 4-year institution. The discrepancy between bachelor's degree aspirations and degree attainment rates of students who…

While mindfulness intervention research is prevalent, it is limited in (1) relation to college students' grade point average (GPA) and retention and (2) minimum dosage recommended for the intervention. This repeated-measures quasi-experimental nonequivalent control groups study investigated differences in mindfulness, stress, flourishing, GPA, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and reshaped undergraduate students' social, learning, and workplace environments. Using an ecological systems framework, we draw on survey data from a sequential, mixed-methods study of undergraduate students at an urban, Minority-Serving Institution (n = 1,272) to examine the association between health, economic,…

Given the importance of academic motivation for student retention and persistence and that most undergraduate students participate in paid employment, this study investigated first-year undergraduate student employment and its relationship with academic motivation. Specifically, this study used the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education…

Texting is a universal form of communication used by traditional undergraduate students. Its influence on higher education cannot be understated, particularly as it pertains to institutional retention efforts. Communication with an academic advisor has been shown to impact student persistence and retention. Tinto's theory of student departure…

With its direct impact on admissions procedures and (in)direct impact on campus climate, affirmative action bans can potentially influence student retention. This study uses a national dataset to examine the relationship between affirmative action bans in Oklahoma and New Hampshire and retention rates at public colleges and universities. Our…

Retention and persistence to graduation have been concerns for colleges and universities across the country. Research has pointed to sociodemographic and economic factors that affect persistence. Our analyses isolate the relationship between advising appointments and the likelihood of persistence controlling for the possibility of an endogenous…

The purpose of this study was to examine academic commitments in Division I specially and regularly admitted student-athletes. Division I student-athletes completed questionnaires assessing academic and athletic identity, perceived academic support, degree commitment, institutional commitment, and intent to withdraw. Structural equation modeling…

The second year of college is a time when students remain at increased risk of departure. Compared to widely available first-year resources, institutional support for second-year students is more limited. The purpose of this study was to compare second-to-third year retention between students who participated in a comprehensive second-year…

Online education has become an integral part of higher education with the ever-increasing demand for online doctoral programs. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the nature of student success and contributing factors to improving student success for nontraditional students in an online doctoral program. Relationships between…

The connections we establish in college are transformative and redirect our lives to make lasting impacts on others around us and in the world. Student affairs and academic support services can make the difference in whether students drop out, fail academically or succeed in their college and career aspirations and realize a personal vision for…

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is uniquely positioned at the intersection between student and academic institution. College administrators should look to psychological capital, beyond just student performance, for retention efforts in the financial management of the institution. The psychological capital and retention of four cohorts of freshmen…