Success for 4-year universities is often measured by graduation and retention rates; however, gaps exist in understanding nonreturning students at private institutions. Recent research is helping to build the lexicon of drop-outs, stop-outs, opt-outs, and transfer-outs to inform strategic retention initiatives. Using an action research method, we…

Student attrition represents one of the greatest challenges facing U.S. postsecondary institutions. Approximately 40 percent of students seeking a bachelor's degree do not graduate within 6 years; among nontraditional students, who make up half of the undergraduate population, dropout rates are even higher. In this study, we developed a machine…

Student attrition from STEM disciplines is one of the most pressing issues in higher education. To better understand the causes of this attrition, this study examines STEM students' college experiences and uncovers their perspectives on the existing support systems with a specific focus on the role of academic advising. Our research reveals that…

Students in graduate education have a desire to hold a degree because of contributions of graduate education such as opportunity to become faculty member, professional development, and promotion. Despite these benefits of graduate education, there are students who do not persist on gaining a graduate degree. This study aims to develop and test a…

A recent increased focus is being placed on college completion agendas, yet there is limited research on senior attrition. Examining why students leave school when they are so close to being done and what motivated them to return when they did, this exploratory case study analyzes several data sets at one public university where a degree…

We examined three large freshman cohorts from Texas State University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), to identify risk factors that might affect academic retention. Risk factors supported by empirical studies such as first-generation, ethnicity, gender, financial aid need, high school performance, and living off campus were examined. We also…

While no major change in relation to student attrition and retention data has been recorded over the past 20 years, the increasingly neoliberal agenda imposed on Australian higher education institutions has led to increased scrutiny around such data. In this case study, we explore discourses of attrition and retention to understand better the…

High attrition rates have been a defining characteristic of doctoral education for decades, representing a loss of time, talent, and effort for departing students and their faculty. This qualitative study uses a biomedical science doctoral student sample to collect "real time" data on attrition within the first 2 years of doctoral…

The purpose of this article is to examine student retention rates and graduation among a doctoral program at a Mid-Atlantic institution. This qualitative study found that faculty encouragement, self-motivation, the cohort model, and the structure of this program contributed to its success. The authors recommend a universal model of retention, as…

The purpose of this multisite case study was to understand students' experiences of academic services and policies at community colleges (CCs) in India and how they perceived these experiences as impacting their success in college. Participants included 19 students from four CCs across diverse geographical locations in India who agreed to respond…

First-generation (FG) students are generally less likely than their continuing-generation (CG) peers to persist and complete a degree. Using student data available at initial enrollment, this multi-institutional study examines retention and transfer at the second year in relation to academic readiness, financial resources, college intentions,…

The effectiveness of a peer-mentoring program was examined at a university in California. Previous studies suggest university peer mentoring might increase students' feelings of engagement, which can contribute to their retention. Pretest and posttest data were collected from 304 freshmen (mentored and nonmentored) during the fall of 2012 in a…

Student veterans face many challenges when transitioning to college. This two-phase study first examined their retention and persistence through the use of archival data at one Midwestern public university. Results indicated a 50% graduation rate, comparable to the national average and above that for nonveterans at the same university. The second,…

College student attrition rates remain constant despite institution level efforts. This retrospective archival study examined how individual instructors at the course level might impact academic success and retention by acting on a real time at risk warning system. Five semesters of scores on the first exam in an undergraduate psychology course…

Student retention in higher education is a major issue as academic institutions compete for fewer students and face declining enrollments. A conceptual model of applying the quality improvement methodology of Six Sigma to the problem of undergraduate student retention in a college of business is presented. Improvement techniques such as cause and…