Educators and education researchers in postsecondary physics have rarely centered (i.e., intentionally directed attention to) the experiences of students with disabilities, leading to an instructional environment that is not designed to support students with disabilities. In this study, we interviewed five students who identified with the…

Students in the autism community are a currently underrepresented, yet growing, population in higher education, which strives to understand student experiences on campus and find ways to better support students with autism. This qualitative research study examined the expectations and experiences of seven students on the autism spectrum in…

Low-income, first-generation students complete college at disproportionately low rates compared to their higher-income and continuing-generation peers. Actors across federal, state, and institutional levels have developed a wide variety of support programs to increase the retention and graduation rates of this group, and typically measure program…

In December 2021, the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) virtually convened a group of experts to discuss priorities for research and data collection on students with disabilities in postsecondary education. Invited experts represented advocates, educators, researchers, and disability service professionals. The discussion…

Until recently, many colleges provided academic support to students by requiring students to complete one or more developmental education courses in a subject area before they could enroll in college-level coursework. Now colleges have been experimenting with new approaches that accelerate students into college courses, including corequisite…

This study explored the transition experiences of 10 Saudi female international students when they made the decision to study and live in the United States. The transition theory provided the theoretical foundation for understanding how Saudi female sophomore students progressed through moving to a Midwestern university. Ten in-depth individual…

This study explored the transition experiences of 10 Saudi female international students when they made the decision to study and live in the United States. The transition theory provided the theoretical foundation for understanding how Saudi female sophomore students progressed through moving to a Midwestern university. In-depth individual…

The purpose of this multisite case study was to understand students' experiences of academic services and policies at community colleges (CCs) in India and how they perceived these experiences as impacting their success in college. Participants included 19 students from four CCs across diverse geographical locations in India who agreed to respond…

Within the first-generation student population, foster care alumni (FCA) comprise an overlooked population. Completion of a baccalaureate degree is more problematic for FCA as compared to low-income, first-generation non-foster peers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how FCA perceive and experience their behavioral achievement…

To provide a snapshot of the skills of community college students as compared to senior college students in the United States, this exploratory study investigated the writing performance and college experience of initial 2-year enrolled (community college transfer students, n = 17) versus initial 4-year enrolled students (n = 12) in a teacher…

The 1st-year retention rate of the Structured Education Program (SEP) is 90%, yet the 6-year graduation rate of SEP students is 29%. The gap between SEP 1st-year retention and graduation rates is the problem that this study addressed. The low graduation rate of SEP students is an important issue because graduation rates are used to measure the…

The number of adult learners entering or returning to higher education institutions has increased tremendously in recent years. Through this growth and change in student demographic, traditional non-profit four-year universities have begun to invest in online degree programs to become more accessible and provide another avenue for adult learners…

This article examines how institutional programs and services intended to support students of color are discursively framed and how undergraduate students draw on these discourses to construct narratives of their college experiences. Our qualitative data highlight assimilative and subversive institutional spaces, which support students in…

Since the dawn of democracy, South African universities have seen increased access to higher education from African students, the majority being first-generation students (FGS). This increase to access came with challenges of retention and throughput amongst first-year first-generation African students (FYFGAS). Despite these challenges, there…

Previous research that evaluated first year students' transition into university found that the values of 'being, belonging and becoming' were important in particular within the first few months and within the first year of university. From our previous work, we reported that three things matter to students: the academic staff they work with, the…