The ubiquitous roadblocks to university graduation have been investigated, identified, and interrogated for 7 decades, yet the mystery of retaining students to graduation continues to elude even the most prestigious universities. This researcher's approach to increasing graduation began with the concession that increasingly, students may leave…

Despite a college degree being a prerequisite for economic and social mobility, many low-income students graduate at far lower rates than students from wealthier families. Existing research suggests that low-income students are more likely to attend college less prepared to succeed once they get there, experience financial challenges, have…

Few studies consider how non-cognitive factors shape outcomes for students served by Promise programs, which are programs that guarantee tuition-free college attendance within a specified geographic area. This single-institution study examined differences between enrolled and stopped-out Kalamazoo Promise scholars' (N = 142) basic needs,…

During the activity of the Interim Treasury Committee for Polish Questions from 7 July 1945 to 31 March 1947, several thousand Polish citizens were given the opportunity to study abroad. Despite their difficult financial situation, they strove to continue studying, where this had been disrupted before the war, or started studying anew. Such an…

Reverse credit transfer (RCT) is an emerging policy designed to award associate's degrees to students who transfer from 2-year to 4-year colleges after transfer. The purpose of this study is to estimate the impact of RCT degree receipt on students' university and labor outcomes using data from Texas, where the legislature passed RCT policy in…

Low student success rates are widespread in American higher education. More than a quarter of freshmen do not return for their second year; at community colleges, it is 41 percent. In 2019, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center identified 36 million adults who had some postsecondary experience but had yet to earn any type of…

Higher education is the surest pathway to a better living and a better life. Yet, the goal of a valuable college credential goes unrealized for too many students, especially students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Today, more than 36 million Americans have some college credit, but no awarded degree and, the COVID-19 pandemic…

This report features selected research findings on student mobility in the British Columbia (B.C) public post-secondary system, using data from the most recent annual Student Transitions Project (STP) submission from Fall of 2020. All B.C. postsecondary registrants in B.C.'s 25 public post-secondary institutions from 2002/2003 to Fall 2020 are…

American colleges play a substantial role in promoting learning-equity for all students who enter their institutions. However, most programs in higher education institutions are fashioned by cultural diversity, but very few institutional programs offer integrated services to help returning nontraditional students persist in program completion.…

Background: Transition Year (TY) is a quasi-gap year offered midway through post-primary education in Ireland. TY is intended to provide a low-stakes environment to promote maturity and social skills, and to prepare students for adult life. Previous interview-based research has found that TY is seen as a positive experience by many students and…

Over the past decade, the college enrollment rate for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) graduates has steadily increased, but the college completion rate has remained relatively flat. At the same time, practitioners have realized that the "traditional" path through college--enrolling in one institution and remaining enrolled through…

This study investigates the effects of financial aid disbursement policies dependent upon course attendance on course completion rates. The research is designed to answer three research questions related to the effect of (1) type of financial aid awarded to students, (2) disbursement policy and (3) the interaction effect between type of financial…

Main reasons for student dropout from higher education may be low academic performance, poor socialization skills, low confidence levels, busy social life and financial issues. As students' dropout from higher education has been rising, there is a need to understand this problem for finding suitable solutions. Research objectives for this…

Mental health leaves of absence have increased among college students, but little is known about their experiences. We explored the role of psychotherapy among college students before, during, and after a mental health leave, using thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 11 students who returned successfully to college after a mental…

Community colleges play a large role in educating students who are historically underrepresented in computer science (CS), including women, Latino men, and Black men, as well as post-traditional (older or working) students. In spite of this, there is a dearth of research on the institutional factors that influence whether or not community college…