A study was conducted of the retention patterns of students enrolled in the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) in fall 1984 using college reports on withdrawals and grade distributions. The study focused on successful retention (i.e., all students who received a passing grade) and on total retention (i.e., all students who received any…

A study was conducted at Sacramento City College to determine the effect of "College Success" (CS), an extended orientation class, on students' academic performance and persistence. The study included three groups of students: 116 students enrolled in CS, 104 students who attended a 4-hour New Student Orientation (NSO), and 84 students who…

A study was conducted at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) to determine the relationship between student educational objectives and retention/attrition rates. The study followed 4,502 students who came to the college for the first time in winter 1985 for five quarters, through winter 1986. The students were asked to indicate their…

A review of 48 follow-up surveys of two-year college vocational education graduates conducted at the institutional and state levels reveals some common findings regarding the graduates' employment experiences. Most survey respondents (70% to 80%) reported that they were employed full-time; 66% to 96% indicated that their jobs were in some way…

A study was conducted in the San Bernardino Community College District to discover why some students who were enrolled in the spring 1984 semester did not reenroll in the fall 1984 semester; and to determine to what extent the new enrollment fee affected students' ability to enroll. A sample of 1,011 students was randomly selected from the target…

Grade distributions were determined for 188 students enrolled at John Tyler Community College (JTCC) in fall 1985, who completed high school in spring 1985. Analyses, which focused on high school attended, courses for which grades were recorded, and status and curriculum of the students, revealed the following: (1) over one-half of all grades…

These mini-reports present summaries of data and research findings about the students of Howard Community College (HCC) in Maryland. In the first report, trends in full-time equivalent (FTE), credit, and continuing education enrollments are charted from 1976 to 1985, showing a 92% increase in total FTE enrollment. The second report focuses on HCC…

A study was conducted at MiraCosta College (MCC), in Del Mar, California, to investigate various aspects of retention and attrition and to make recommendations for possible program enhancements. The study sought to determine when students drop out of classes, which students drop out of school completely, and the drop out rate for various…

A study was conducted to determine the success or failure of late applicants and late registrants at Honolulu Community College (HCC) as measured by rate of completion, success in classes, etc., and to investigate ways in which the late applicant/registrant could be integrated into the mainstream of the system more easily. Avenues of recruitment…

A study was conducted at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) in Maryland to determine the percentage of students enrolled in courses in fall 1987 who received passing grades, and to examine these pass rates with respect to academic discipline, and student gender, age, race, and admission status. Study findings included the following: (1) the…

More than one-half of all college students in the United States and nearly half of all college faculty attend or work at two-year colleges, yet references to them in American fiction are few and far between and usually derogatory. Examples used in an earlier paper on this topic are Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh," Susan Fromberg Schaeffer's…

The Testing Center at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in North Carolina, Educational Testing Service, and the College Board are participating jointly in pilot and field testing Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs). CPTs, which assess communications, reading, and mathematics skills, have the following benefits: (1) students may take the…

In January 1986, the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System conducted a longitudinal study of college transfer using course enrollment data. The study identified all first-time students enrolled in general academic courses in Texas public community and junior colleges in fall 1981 (N=92,519) and matched them by social…

Following a review of the literature on mature female students, this paper examines enrollment trends in a selection of colleges in Alberta (Canada) and presents the findings of a survey of returning women students at Red Deer College. The literature review highlights factors related to the personal and professional development of women graduates…

In spring 1987, a survey was conducted of individuals who applied for admission at one of the colleges in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) and did not subsequently enroll. A sample of 100 applicants was telephoned and the remaining 2,636 applicants received a direct-mail questionnaire. Study findings, based on an overall response…