Student retention is the field of institutional research that has (deservedly) had the most attention. Besides the models proposed by Tinto (1975, 1993), there have been many theoretical and applied papers on many aspects of student retention. These include demographic characteristics, scholastic scores, financial and residential considerations,…

Under the George W. Bush U.S. presidential administration, the federal government pushed for greater accountability among institutions of higher education for educational outcomes. Graduation rate is a key performance indicator of institutional accountability. Previous researchers of student attrition focused primarily on the effects of student…

Existing research demonstrates a strong relationship between the prevalence of irregular enrollment patterns among community college students and their low rates of degree attainment (Adelman 2006; Bahr 2009; Berkner et al. 2000; Goldrick-Rab 2004, 2007; Horn and Nevill 2006). However, very little is known about the features and processes that…

This study reports how an institutional research office at a large public research university has taken the lead to call attention to retention problems, describe attrition/retention predictors, and influence policy. Building on existing retention theories and previous institutional research studies, the institutional research office began…

The NEAIR (North East Association for Institutional Research) 2011 Conference Proceedings is a compilation of papers presented at the Boston, Massachusetts conference. Papers in this document include: (1) Are Students Dropping Out or Dragging Out the College Experience? The Roles of Socioeconomic Status and Academic Background (Leslie S. Stratton…

To understand student attrition, Mercer County Community College has developed a complementary information system based on: (1) a computerized tracking system following enrollment patterns by semester of entering class; (2) surveys of the nonreturning student populations each semester; and (3) retrieval of demographic and biographic…

Issues and considerations likely to be confronted in designing and constructing longitudinal institutional databases or studies are examined, including operational definitions of retention and attrition. The intent is to reduce current limitations in dropout research. (MSE)

Information was collected in 1993 from students who withdrew from courses in mid-term at a community college either because they were dropping a course or departing from the college. This report documents withdrawal patterns of students during the calendar year of 1994. Self-reported reasons for course/college withdrawal were identified and…

Problems associated with determining attrition rates and causes of attrition in the Regents External Degree Program of the University of the State of New York were studied. Students were defined as having dropped out of the program if they had not paid their annual records fee (registration fee). Data are provided to compare attrition figures to…

The results of the first semester's work of the Withdrawal Office of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, are presented in four reports. A brief historical overview and introduction by Deborah Hazel Johnson describes the objectives of implementing a withdrawal procedure, the purposes of the Withdrawal Office, and procedures that were used…

This document from the Miami-Dade Community College Office of Institutional Research (Florida) briefly reports student retention rates at the college for the year 2000. Retention rates for degree-seeking students in 2000 increased from 1998 for all major ethnic categories. The year 2000 total college retention rate was 72.5%. Retention rates by…

The use of computer graphics techniques in a study of attrition at the University of Akron is outlined to illustrate potential applications. The techniques produce information that is more readily interpreted than the usual data tables. Specific software information and illustrations are included. (MSE)

An analytic system for determining student flow in different subject fields in order to produce departmental workload forecasts is examined. The system consists of three steps. The first step, student flow calculation, computes the relationship of enrollments by major and student level from one year to another. This calculation utilizes historical…

Information about students' characteristics and their perceptions of their educational experience allow institutions to predict their risk of attrition. Trenton State College's effective use of the American Council on Education Cooperative Institutional Research Program for planning and assessment is described. (MLW)

This report describes the attrition rate at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) (Kansas). The overall attrition rate for classes starting in fall 2000 was nearly 12%--during the fall semester 4,652 students dropped classes. Useable drop surveys were completed for 93% of those classes. Findings indicated that: (1) the Science, Math, and Health…