Data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Follow-Up Surveys were used to study student retention at four-year colleges and universities. Data used were from the 1985-1988 follow-up surveys of 1981-1984 freshmen. Student data were also requested directly from the institutions themselves, concerning degree earned, number of years…

Variables that best explain variance in student attrition for 168 freshmen students from a college of agriculture within a major midwestern university were studied in 1979. Variables were selected from a theoretical causal model of student attrition (Bean, 1981), a review of the literature (Bean, 1978), and five empirical investigations conducted…

The influence of an intensive two-day orientation to college on freshman voluntary persistence and withdrawal decisions was estimated with an explanatory causal model. Results suggest the major influence of orientation on persistence is indirect, transmitted through positive effects on student social integration and commitment to the institution.…

Describes a study applying the Tinto Model to predict student persistence/exit in a community college setting. A questionnaire assessing background, environmental, and integration variables was administered to full-time students during their first semester, successfully predicting subsequent persistence/exit behavior and affirming the utility of…

A study examined the health service use of 5,088 West Virginia University freshmen and compared the use patterns of students who returned the next fall with those who did not return. Nonreturning students had a higher usage rate and were significantly different in the types of services needed. The influence of student health problems on attrition…

A unilateral decision was made by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Office of Academic Outreach and Support, and the Office of Academic Support and Retention (AS&R) to implement a pilot initiative for reporting, monitoring, and tracking excessive absenteeism during the Spring semester 2003. A…

This paper presents a study designed to determine the reason first and post-first year students (N=61) chose to leave Chicago Urban University (CUU) prior to graduation. Data were sought from a random sample of 100 students via either a mailed or a telephone survey, with a 61% response rate. The 54-question interview/survey instrument examined the…

This study used weekly conversations with 25 freshmen at Boise (Idaho) State University (BSU) and analyses of students' journal entries to examine reasons for BSU freshmen leaving school during or after their freshman year. The 13 students who were successful (reenrolled in the spring and following fall semesters and maintained satisfactory…

Valencia (Florida) Community College's (VCC's) REACH Program offers high school students a 10-week college preparatory program, including 1-hour instructional units in communications, mathematics,and Afro-American history; 30-minute presentations by black professionals each week; and a personalized prescription for learning based on diagnostic…

Reviews the literature on student attrition and suggests ways to increase enrollment and re-enrollment at community colleges without establishing labor-intensive programs and services. Focuses on the creation of the necessary environment for retention; the importance of campus-based research; and ways of predicting and preventing unnecessary…

Studies attitudes and perceptions of 122 incoming African-American first-year college students at a predominantly white university in 1989. Comparison of their attrition rates with those of their counterparts in 1984 shows only a marginal decline. Despite initial favorable attitudes, many students did not have a positive first year. (SLD)

This report presents the results of a survey of member institutions of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) concerning administration views on student retention, and student retention and attrition and campus responses to this problem. Retention Activity Reports for each responding institution (N=183) are provided.…

With the dwindling of the traditional college applicant pool, retention has become one of higher educational institutions' top priorities. This study addresses the effectiveness of Western Psychological Services'"Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire" (SACQ) for providing early evidence of poor adjustment and potential attrition…

Fall-to-spring retention rates were calculated at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) for several demographic groups and for first-time students attending the college in fall 1989. Data from longitudinal studies were included to provide a more complete picture of student persistence at PGCC. Study findings included the following: (1) 60% of…

Investigates whether and to what extent noncognitive and traditional precollege variables (such as American College Testing scores) predict first-semester grade point average and enrollment factors for 409 African-American males admitted to a predominantly white university through its office of Educational Services and Programs. (SLD)