Nearly half of students who enter college do not graduate. The majority of efforts to increase college completion have focused on supporting students before or soon after they enter college, yet many students drop out after making significant progress towards their degree. In this paper, we report results from a multi-year, large-scale…

This paper explores the factors contributing to high dropout rates in U.S. education, particularly in higher education, where 40% of students leave before completing their degrees. It examines causes such as financial difficulties, mental health issues, and lack of engagement, and discusses strategies to reduce dropouts. Key approaches include…

Admission to colleges and universities has sparked much interest over time. There are articles, books, and even movies designed to shed light on the process of being admitted to institutions. One component of the application process that has drawn a lot of attention is the use of standardized test scores. There are both advocates and critics of…

The purpose of this nonexperimental, quantitative study was to analyze relationships between three learning mindset dimensions (growth mindset; purpose and value; and sense of belonging) to retention and persistence to graduation among first-time, full-time Tennessee community college student graduates and nongraduates who attended one of 13…

This study examines the impact of online core courses on students' academic and financial outcomes of postsecondary students. To do so, we analyzed data from a large sample of students in the University System of Georgia (USG), governing agency of Georgia's 26 public universities and colleges. Since 2001, USG has offered "eCore" courses:…

Through the lens of complexity theory and by utilizing the methodological framework set forth in Gander's 1999 article regarding internal and external organizational elements of administrative intensity, this secondary data analysis study linked the internal organizational elements of administrative intensity to institutional results as evidenced…

This longitudinal study evaluated the efficacy of a summer bridge program (SBP) and other support services on college graduation rates at a small liberal arts school in Purchase, NY. Financially disadvantaged students (n = 136) receiving a scholarship and a summer bridge curriculum within the Manhattanville Achievement Program were compared to…

Community colleges are essential for United States higher education, but their students have low retention and graduation rates. Community college students assigned to mathematics remediation are particularly unlikely to graduate. Corequisite remediation (college-level coursework with additional support) has shown short-term increased student…

The "2023 Nebraska Higher Education Progress Report" is the latest edition of the annual progress report designed to provide the Nebraska Legislature with comparative statistics to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving three key priorities for Nebraska's postsecondary education system. They are: (1) Increase the number of…

Higher education in the United States is regulated by a triad of the federal government, state governments, and private accreditors. Rather than relying on bureaucrats to ensure quality, federal policy defers such assurance to accrediting agencies. This empowers accreditors to determine which colleges can access financial aid and establishes their…

This annual report presents data on students who registered with disability services at Maryland colleges and universities and provides analysis on graduation, transfer and retention outcomes for those students. To better understand higher education outcomes for students with disabilities in Maryland, the Maryland Higher Education Commission…

The retention and graduation of college students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is critical to the continued development of the United States. Many students in the U.S. who begin college in a STEM field do not end up graduating with such a degree. There are many strategies to improve the retention and graduation…

This annual report presents data on students who registered with disability services at Maryland colleges and universities and provides analysis on graduation and retention outcomes for those students. To better understand higher education outcomes for students with disabilities in Maryland, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), in…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the type of high school completed and selected academic and demographic characteristics on university retention to degree completion at a research university -- very high research (RU/VH) in the Southern Region of the United States. The dependent variable of this study was…

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive power of Academic and Learning Analytics models on the persistence, retention, and graduation rates for students enrolled in higher education institutions in the United States. Specifically, this study is concerned with the relationships between the present usage of Academic and Learning…