This ex post facto controlled investigation was conducted from 1993 to 1996 at a medium sized, regional, predominantly White, public, four-year university in the Midwest to determine the relationship between participation in the institution's freshman year experience course and student retention and success. Students who participated in the course…

U.S. colleges and universities are failing to graduate a greater number of students than in previous decades, although there has been more than a 25 percent increase in the number of students enrolling in colleges after high school graduation for the last three decades. Nevertheless, the 6-year graduation rate has been lingering around 66 percent…

Logistic regression models of students' 1-year retention and 6-year retention/graduation for the fall 2000 entering class of students at a research-extensive university in the Midwest were estimated by combining university, financial aid, and Cooperative Institutional Research Program data (n = 1,905; 45% female, 87% Caucasian, 75% in-state).…

Following recent developments within higher education where provision of foundation degree courses at further education colleges has been extended, it seemed appropriate to investigate the extent to which the system is working. This should not necessarily be measured by the number of students enrolling, but rather by how many are achieving their…

Studies of student risk of school dropout have shown that present predictors of at-risk status do not accurately identify a large percentage of students who eventually drop out. Through the analysis of the entire Grade 1-12 longitudinal cohort-based grading histories of the class of 2006 for two school districts in the United States, the author…

Prompted by the notion of "Transfer Shock", numerous studies examined academic performance of transfer students at senior institutions. However, few studies are found that examine how the varying nature of semester GPAs impact subsequent persistence behavior of transfer students after the initial drop in their college GPAs. Using an institutional…

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of learning communities for underprepared first-year students. The topic was examined by synthesizing data collected on a cohort of first-year college students participating in a "developmental" (special admittance) program. A quasi-experimental design evaluated the effectiveness of…

The purpose of this study was to examine what effect the Freshmen Interest Group (FIG) program, a variation of a non-residential learning community had on academic achievement scores and institutional rates of persistence. Study variables included: gender; race; pre-collegiate academic achievement (GPA scores); educational preferences (major…

The underrepresentation of women in technical fields is a widely acknowledged national problem, limiting both the raw size of the talent pool and the diversity of experiences and perspectives of those who will design solutions to key problems facing society. Empowering women to succeed in these fields is clearly one important component of any…

International graduate students experience a number of unique challenges as they transition through their training programs. Surprisingly, relatively little research has been conducted on perhaps one of the most crucial predictors of international students' retention and success within their graduate programs: the advising relationship. Using a…

The first year of college is unique and important for many reasons that warrant focused research. Students are often solely responsible for making many academic decisions for the first time as well as living relatively, independently away from home. One apparent consequence of these challenges is that this is the peak time for dropping out of…

Student retention has become one of the most significant issues facing higher education. Countless hours and considerable amounts of money have been spent in an attempt to determine why some students leave college and while others persist. Previous retention studies have focused primarily on traditional students from four-year, residential…

Students who are seriously academically deficient, those who are underprepared in all subjects, face many academic challenges as they begin their coursework in higher education. However, students also face nonacademic and personal issues that create additional barriers to success. The results of this study suggest that increases in student success…

Are students setting themselves up for failure by taking online courses? Should students be restricted from taking online courses if they have not reached a certain GPA? Should students who fail or withdraw from an online course be required to take to traditional courses for at least one semester? At one Historically Black College or University…

The College Board offers fee reductions to students based on eligibility for free and reduced-price lunch in an attempt to introduce the benefits of AP® Exam participation to students most at risk in the education system. This report examined college outcomes of low-SES students with a focused investigation comparing students who took an AP Exam…