The industry of higher education has consistently grappled with the issue of student persistence and institutional retention efforts due to the failure to improve student completion rates. Nationwide, only four out of every ten students graduate. According to the Completions Report by the National Center for Education Statistics, between 2006 and…

Academic advisement, one of the most important support services provided by institutions, creates teaching relationships between advisors and students that have longlasting lessons in goal setting and time management, and enhances student connections with the institution. It is with academic advising that institutions have the most impact on…

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event that disrupted higher education learning environments in unique ways. This study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate students' academic progress in higher education at Saint Louis University. The outcomes of interest were four-year cumulative grade point average…

This study examined retention and First-Year GPA for all FTIC students, Black students, and Black Pell-eligible students at the UOTSE as a function of participation in a First-Year Seminar Course. A statistically significant relationship was determined to exist between First-year GPA and participation in the FYS course. For retention, participants…

The Uniformed Services University (USU) created the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2) in 2014 with the goal of diversifying their student body. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether certain independent variables (gender, age, race/ethnicity, underrepresented in medicine (URM) status, years of military…

Students who attend two-year institutions are not always academically prepared for the level of work that is required to be successful. Two-year institutions determine students' readiness for college-level mathematics courses using one of three placement methods. However, few empirical studies have investigated which placement methods are most…

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between native and community college transfer students and identify factors that predicted upper-level biology course grade-point average and final overall grade-point average at a four-year institution in biological sciences. The results of this study indicated four-year institution…

College enrollment and completion rates among low-income and historically underserved students are lower than those of their middle- and upper-income counterparts. "Promise scholarships," also known as "last dollar" scholarships, are becoming an increasingly popular way for states throughout the U.S. to incentivize…

This quantitative, nonexperimental, expo-facto study examined the relationship of student risk factors and completion or noncompletion of degrees and certificates for first time students who took out loans to pay for college in the fall of 2011 at three rural community colleges, comprising all community colleges in a rural state. Archival student…

Retention rates of first generation college student (FGCS) became a growing concern for leaders of educational institutions in the U.S. FGCS were several times more likely to exit college without a degree as compared to their traditional counterparts. The Model of Institutional Departure offered a general framework of college student retention.…

The double burden of spiraling costs and limited financial aid has prompted more college students to work more hours than ever. Yet, working more hours can be detrimental to students' academic success and persistence, and first-generation college students are at even higher risk. While institutions cannot control off campus employment students…

The current unprecedented level of college student debt in the United States at over $1.4 trillion (Federal Reserve, 2017) is of major concern for all who desire to improve higher education, income and social inequality, and the general welfare of society. This study's purpose is both theoretical and empirical: first, to develop and propose the…

This study investigated the extent that the attributes of incoming students and their subsequent academic and social interactions at an institution are related to community college student retention. Student data from a cohort of first-time students (N = 1089) attending a community college in southwest Missouri was analyzed to examine variables…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the number of college credits earned in Technical College Preparation (Tech Prep) and Dual Credit (College Now) programs as a predictor of continued success after high school, as measured by first-year college GPA at a Midwest Community College. This study looked at how the…

The persistence of college students, particularly through credential attainment, is of importance to many stakeholders in higher education, including policymakers, taxpayers, parents and students. This dissertation study used longitudinal data nationally representative of higher education institutions and students, the National Center for…