School and College Ability Tests (SCAT), the Omnibus Personality Inventory, and questionnaire data collected indicated that, as compared to persisting students, voluntary withdrawals had higher verbal ability and were more intellectually oriented. Voluntary withdrawals had significantly higher SCAT scores than the failures and the female…

A comparison of 24 Canadian aborigines who withdrew from college and 25 who persisted showed that withdrawers were often nonmatriculated, lacked time management skills, frequently missed class, worked over 25 hours per week, felt lonely and alienated, had family problems, and socialized excessively. (SK)

Examined how the fulfillment of college expectations affects students' social integration. Path analysis showed that the fulfillment of social expectations for college positively affects both social integration and subsequent institutional commitment; the greater the degree of these, the more likely students will re-enroll in the university. (EV)

This survey of Australian college students provides support for an alternative explanation of attrition for a specific group of university students: students who planned to withdraw from their original program of study after facilitating entry to another undergraduate degree. (EV)

This study tested Pascarella's reconceptualization of Tinto's model of the persistence/withdrawal process for use in a non-residential institution. Subjects (n=372) were college freshmen who had attended freshmen orientation and had completed an opinionnaire both during orientation and at the end of their first year in a medium-sized, urban…

This report identifies the entering undergraduate classes from 1963 through 1968 at the University of Virginia in relation to the number who graduated within 5 years or less and those who withdrew for specific reasons. Data are included for the College of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Architecture. (MJM)

Recognizing that voluntary withdrawal from college is inextricably associated with achievement needs, this study used achievement motivation theory to examine: (1) whether women function differently from men in achievement-oriented situations; (2) whether they differ in their reasons for leaving college; and (3) whether achievement level, as…

A study of attrition after the first year of college was conducted at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. A path-analytic model of nine factors affecting student persistence was tested using LISREL. The results indicate that social integration is an important factor in college persistence. (Author/MLW)

Estimates from a hazard model of college student departure for 3,975 students simulated how financial aid changes affect withdrawal decisions. Changing loans to scholarships has a large impact and front-loading aid (giving gift aid for the first 2 years) a modest impact on retention. Financial aid may represent more to students than its dollar…

THE PROBLEMS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATIONS WERE STUDIED IN THE AREAS OF FINANCIAL NEEDS, ATTITUDES, FUTURE PLANS, REASONS FOR WITHDRAWAL, REASONS FOR DECLINING ADMISSION, INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PROBLEMS, AND SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OF A LARGE UNIVERSITY. A COLLEGE POPULATION WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS--A PURPOSIVE SAMPLE OF THE ACTIVE…

A questionnaire was completed by students withdrawing from the University of Alberta during the 1970-71 session. In addition to obtaining biographical information, reasons for withdrawal were grouped into six basic categories: financial, academic, personal, extracurricular, health, and living arrangements. These findings are discussed in relation…

To many students who are in the process of withdrawing, the exit interview is an important and helpful service. It may be the last chance to help or assist the student, and to help him perceive the university as being concerned about him as an individual. Most importantly, the exit interview opens the door for the student to return to college…

Provides insight into first-year undergraduate persistence by using behavioral measures--based on Alexander Astin's theory of involvement--to further understanding of Tinto's theory of student departure. Findings support the use of an integrated model in which student behaviors and perceptions interact to influence the development of academic and…

Surveyed students with a disability and a matched sample of students without a disability over a 3-year period at the University of Newcastle. Examined characteristics and academic outcomes of students with a disability because they are significantly underrepresented at Australian universities. Found significant differences between some personal…

Discusses how many Middle Eastern students, pressured by their parents and in the face of growing hostility on American campuses, are abandoning their studies to return to their home countries. (EV)