A study examined the kinds of skills that minority students felt prepared them for college and helped them to succeed. All 80 minority students enrolled at Illinois' Millikin University (enrollment, 1,800 students) were interviewed for 20 to 30 minutes each. Results indicated that: (1) students reported that English composition/writing classes,…

Several major studies have identified student commuters as being at particularly high risk for attrition from higher educational institutions. This report reviews the knowledge that exists about students-as-commuters in depth. Among the implications for educational policy makers is the need for commuter institutions to provide opportunities to…

The dimensions and consequences of college student attrition and features of institutional action to deal with attrition are discussed. Patterns of student departure from individual colleges as opposed to permanent college withdrawal are addressed. After synthesizing the research on multiple causes of student leaving, a theory of student departure…

It is uncertain what a college reading program can do to enhance retention of college students who leave before graduating. Unfortunately, studies of college reading instruction's impact on grade point average (GPA) have not produced clear results. Additional content instruction, however, has been found to have significant impact on GPA's. Still,…

For the future, college and university administrators face the problem of maintaining a satisfactory enrollment level. They recognize that reducing attrition may be a useful approach to their enrollment problems, but remedies for attrition are not readily developed. There is a consensus that campus administrators can use the available research to…

The college dropout problem and ways of solving it were discussed at the GT-70 Consortium Meetings on Student Attrition, held in Washington, D.C. in May 1973. The discussions centered around the profile of the dropout, anticipating the crisis, counseling, and alternative measures. The 23 recommendations resulting from the consortium meetings are…

Examines the relation of race, sex, financial aid, grades, and American College Test composite scores to college freshman attrition/persistence (dropping out vs continued enrollment). (RL)

A study of the effects of a pre-freshman summer session on the academic, personal, and social development and retention of a group of Black Clemson University students found no better academic performance or retention than for a control group, suggesting that the program's assumptions were flawed or inadequate. (MSE)

Education is the most important key to racial progress in the United States. Leaders of historically Black colleges must seek financial stability for their institutions, develop programs to redeem talented Black dropouts and push-outs, and implement a curriculum that addresses the concerns of the Black community. (GC)

Pace University's efforts to attract and retain adult students include contacting nonmatriculated students to encourage commitment and resolve problems and contacting part-time students the first semester they stop attending. The results of the university taking the initiative have been increased retention and greater information about student…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify factors related to dropout/retention for distance education students in order to identify variables that might promote participation through completion. The major focus of the study was to document the distance education students' learning progress and to identify variables that relate to their…

Students in six advanced mathematics courses at the Open University were surveyed to identify and analyze reasons for withdrawal from the courses. Specific recommendations for preventing dropout advising and readily available counseling, clarifying course sequences, avoiding assumptions about student sophistication, and developing new curriculum.…

Results indicate freshmen consider academic and personal topics to be important, but academic categories have primacy. To increase freshmen retention, the academic domain warrants a high priority in orientation programs. They should also focus on student life outside the classroom such as finances and extracurricular activities. (Author)

Describes cooperative program between a university counseling service and the dean's office of the College of Architecture and Design. Discusses 10-week seminar for students identified as on probation from previous semester, focusing on program emphasis on involvement, personal issues, peer influence, problem solving, behavior change, and skill…

Studied Community-Based Learning program, Job Training Partnership Act-sponsored drop-out prevention effort focusing on youth service, career exploration, civic education, and academic development. Found that learning in community could be effective in improving attendance and school grades, as well as helping students to learn. Major contributor…