Whether studying physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, mathematics, humanities, or education, approximately one in every two doctoral students fail to persist to degree completion (Bowen & Rudenstine, 1992; Lovitts, 2001; Tinto, 2012). A quantitative comparative study focused on two populations; students currently enrolled in the…

While some stakeholders presume that studying abroad distracts students from efficient pursuit of their programs of study, others regard education abroad as a high impact practice that fosters student engagement and hence college completion. The Consortium for Analysis of Student Success through International Education (CASSIE), compiled…

Participation in accelerated learning programs (defined in this study as Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and International Baccalaureate) continues to expand across the US. As such, it is important to better our understanding of the relationship among these three programs concerning measures of student postsecondary achievement. Prior…

Many studies have found a greater risk of dropping out among students from modest social origins compared to those from families characterized by high levels of education. This paper investigates social differences in student completion rates in short professional programmed, such as nursing, social work, early childhood and primary school teacher…

Short term study abroad use by community colleges has been on the rise. This study looks at the effectiveness of short term study abroad programs at a community college. The study examines the use of these programs in promoting student retention, completion, and growth in intercultural competence. By looking at student retention and completion…

Though online course offerings have expanded to meet the needs of student access in the context of funding constraints, research has shown worse student outcomes in online classes, with significant inequities by race and ethnicity. Consequently, the proliferation of online course offerings could have vast implications for equity in the California…

College students need both a rigorous liberal arts core curriculum and a faster track to graduation that would saddle them with less debt. This brief report discusses the concept of a three-year undergraduate degree in which requirements are shortened from 120 credit hours to 90 credit hours, and students complete 27 credit hours of core…

Recently new types of scholarships have emerged known as promise scholarships. A promise scholarship aims to increase collegiate attainment by promising financial aid to eligible students. Promise scholarships differ from traditional scholarships in that promise scholarships are non-competitive and not necessarily needs based. Typical eligibility…

This study examined whether first-time full-time freshman students' sense of purpose predicted their progress towards a degree. Freshman students (N = 421, 62.2% females) completed self-report measures of sense of purpose and academic commitments within the first month of starting college; a year later, the data on first-year progress towards a…

Delays in meeting math requirements can impede the progress among community college students who aspire to earn a baccalaureate degree. To investigate this issue, we used state administrative data from Texas to examine the prevalence and predictors of math course repetition and how math course repetition predicts transfer students' outcomes. More…

Degree completion on theoretical time is a phenomenon seldom explored in the higher education literature. We applied variance components models and random coefficients models to the microdata of an entire entrant cohort of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who completed their three-year programme at a Portuguese institution during the…

Higher education institutions have strategically and circumspectly managed the responsibility for students' wellness by departmentalizing mental health support into voluntary services led by the university counseling and wellness departments. Departments such as counseling wellness, academic advisement, and student engagement are just some of the…

Despite significant contributions to healthcare made by male nurses throughout the centuries, nursing is a female-dominated profession, creating challenges for male nursing students. The problem addressed in this study was that male nursing students experience challenges that impede their success toward completing their urban Midwest community…

Purpose: Jointly operated by school districts and postsecondary institutions, Early Colleges are either whole school program or programs within schools designed to serve students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The Early College High School Initiative was established in 2002 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along…

Early colleges are a model of schooling that combines the high school and college experiences, providing students the opportunity to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate degree or 2 years of college credit. This article updates findings from a 17-year longitudinal experimental study of the model, examining the impact of the…