College student persistence and dropout have been studied for decades, but little inquiry has focused on community college or private two-year college students. Although about half of first-time postsecondary students enroll in a two-year college, researchers understand little about why only approximately a quarter of these degree-seekers complete…

The first phase of a study to predict retention and withdrawal among disadvantaged students at an urban commuter institution is described. Variable selection for the study was guided by Tinto's (1975) and Bean's (1982) models. Pilot testing was undertaken to estimate some psychometric characteristics of Pascarella and Terenzini's institutional…

A causal model of academic factors affecting undergraduate student persistence at a large, urban, commuter university was tested. The effects of academic variables on persistence from fall to spring semester were also assessed for transfer and native students. The model accounted for 49% of the total variance in persistence, while separate models…

The retention and attrition after the freshman year among economically and academically disadvantaged students admitted through a special program to an urban, primarily non-residential university is investigated. This paper tests the predictive validity of major constructs in Tinto's explanatory model of college student withdrawal. (Author/BS)

In a survey of urban university students, ways of financing college (working, part-time attendance, residence with parents, and financial aid) were related to background variables (parent education, race/ethnicity, and high school grades) and to outcome variables. Among findings were that significant sex differences existed in effects of residence…