Student attrition is a major problem for American colleges and universities because an increasing number of enrollees fit the demographic and socioeconomic profile of "high-risk" students, who consist in general of minorities, the academically disadvantaged, the disabled, and those of low socioeconomic status. Declining enrollments leave…

This report reviews the literature on high-risk students at the higher education level in terms of the following questions: are high-risk students and nontraditional students the same? what is the impact of high-risk students on institutions of higher education? are high-risk students treated differently in elementary and secondary schools? do…