In this study, we investigated how environmental, cognitive, and demographic variables influenced students' ability to graduate from a 4-year university in 4 years. Specifically, we examined how behaviors related to social cognitive career theory (i.e., self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and academic goals) were influenced by contextual…

Nationwide, only 13 percent of community college students graduate within two years, and only 24 percent graduate within three years. Two important indicators that students will graduate on time are the number of credits they attempt each semester and their academic performance, which is often measured by a college's requirements for satisfactory…

Challenges to establishing and maintaining undergraduate research programs include how to demonstrate impact as evidence for future funding, establish eligibility criteria when resources are limited, and assess new components. To address these challenges, undergraduate researcher GPA, credit accumulation and time to graduation were evaluated…

Despite vast research on transitioning to higher education and student diversity, little longitudinal evidence exists of how individual differences of first-year students predict their graduation times. The present study explored the relation between first-year students' study profiles and graduation times in two different disciplines, by…

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) surveyed member institutions to better understand institutional policies and practices related to prior learning assessment (PLA) and fielded a student survey to understand student perspectives on PLA. This brief shares findings and recommendations from this…

Increased student mobility within the British Columbia (BC) Transfer System (BCTS) means that students can easily enter and exit postsecondary studies. However, a significant amount of time may elapse between when a student acquires credits and when they wish to use, re-use or transfer those credits. This has led to BCTS member institutions facing…

Students in Idaho high schools have the opportunity to earn postsecondary technical credit through the tech prep program. This study examines the college outcomes of retention, completion, time-to-degree, and technical skills attainment for tech prep participants, who matriculated to the partner stand-alone technical college within…

This report examines transfer student pathways and performance from British Columbia (BC) Transfer System institutions into BC's public research-intensive universities: Royal Roads University (RRU), Simon Fraser University (SFU), Thompson Rivers University (TRU), University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC),…

Over the last two decades, more than 30 states have implemented statewide transfer agreements between community colleges and four-year institutions (Jenkins & Fink, 2015; Kirk-Kuwaye & Kirk-Kuwaye, 2007; Roksa & Keith, 2008). Although research indicates that those earning associate's degree before transferring are more likely to earn a…

Academic dismissal policies are increasingly implemented to promote academic success, with existing empirical evidence mostly restricted to short-run outcomes. This study examines long-term academic outcomes of academic dismissal for two cohorts (N=1707) of first-year bachelor students in Economics and Business at a Dutch university. Using…

Dual enrollment (DE) is a common method for high schools to offer postsecondary preparation, exposure to college-level expectations, and, potentially, college credit. Some dual-enrollment students enter college with 24 semester hours. Upon matriculation, these high-credit DE (HCDE) students present unique challenges to college academic advisors.…

In this article, I utilize a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effects of Tulsa Achieves--a prevalent and understudied type of tuition-free college program. In contrast to concerns regarding tuition-free community college suppressing bachelor's degree attainment, I find that Tulsa Achieves increased the likelihood of transferring to…

Transfer articulation agreements are employed by institutions of higher education and state legislatures alike to improve transfer efficiency between two-year and four-year institutions. These agreements often aim both to increase transfer rates and baccalaureate degree completion and to decrease time to degree. Studies exploring the efficacy of…

Many students -- as well as potential students -- have acquired a great deal of learning through their day-to-day lives outside of academia: knowledge acquired from work experience, on-the-job training, formal corporate training, military training, volunteer work, self-study, and a myriad of other extra-institutional learning opportunities…

Low completion rates and increased time to degree at U.S. colleges are a widespread concern for policymakers and academic leaders. Many "full time" undergraduates currently enroll at 12 credits per semester despite the fact that a bachelor's degree cannot be completed within 4 years at that credit-load. The "academic momentum"…