The present research examined the extent to which pre-college characteristics, high school experiences, college expectations, and initial enrollment characteristics were related to graduation from college. Data from admission applications, the "ACT Compass" survey, and initial enrollment measures for Fall 2004 and Fall 2005 first-time…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the underlying non-cognitive processes and institutional factors that allowed first-year students to enact effective strategies for attaining academic success and persisting despite obstacles. The varying levels of academic preparation and unique obstacles faced by the student participants…

Native American students are the most likely racial/ethnic group tracked in post-secondary American education to be affected by poverty and limited access to educational opportunities. In addition, they are the most likely to be required to take remedial course work and are the least likely to graduate from college. A review of the literature was…

Along with the massification of higher education and increasing costs, the pressure on institutions to retain all students to degree completion has been mounting. Early identification of students who are at risk of leaving an institution may help institutions to target and retain these students. This study investigated whether freshmen behaviors,…

Early alert systems offer institutions systematic approaches to identifying and intervening with students exhibiting at-risk behaviors. Many of these systems rely on a common format for student referral to central receiving point. Systems at larger institutions often use web-based technology to allow for a scalable (available campus wide) approach…

The struggle to get weak students to use learning support services plagues virtually all retention programs (Friedlander, 1980; Hodges, 2001; Karabenick & Knapp, 1988; Moore & LeDee, 2006; Simpson, Hynd, Nist, & Burrell, 1997; Webster & Dee, 1998). This study presents a cost-effective form of supplemental instruction (SI), in the form of on-line…

College students on probation are generally considered at-risk for dropping out, as indicated by a wide range of literature. This article focuses on an action research study that explored the impact of a career workshop series on freshman students in a probation course at a medium-sized university located in the southeastern United States. The…

Affecting university rankings, school reputation, and financial well-being, student retention has become one of the most important measures of success for higher education institutions. From the institutional perspective, improving student retention starts with a thorough understanding of the causes behind the attrition. Such an understanding is…

Traditionally at Mississippi State University (MSU), students who are placed on academic suspension are required to stay out of school one regular semester. As an alternative, the university designed a program for early readmission for suspended students who agree to follow the requirements outlined in the "Learning Skills Support…

Several early studies and subsequent reviews suggested that written emotional disclosure (WED)--writing repeatedly about personal stressful experiences--leads to improved academic performance of college students. A critical review of available studies casts some doubt on this conclusion, so we conducted three randomized, controlled experiments of…

This study explored the outcome of academically dismissed students reinstated the semester following academic dismissal at a medium-size Midwestern University. Logistic regression was utilized to identify predictors that may assist academic administrators in making decisions regarding future reinstatement activities. The overall model correctly…

The purpose of this study was to explore the informal mentoring relationships of 15 male, Hispanic (Dominican American), first-generation college students, to determine how their mentoring experiences influenced their academic progress, standing, and retention. In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 undergraduates…

Logistic regression models of students' 1-year retention and 6-year retention/graduation for the fall 2000 entering class of students at a research-extensive university in the Midwest were estimated by combining university, financial aid, and Cooperative Institutional Research Program data (n = 1,905; 45% female, 87% Caucasian, 75% in-state).…

The present study utilizes a multilevel approach to assess the effects of four different types of intervention on college student retention, focusing on the interaction effects between the student characteristics and the types of intervention. The program effects on a 3-year trend are also explored. The findings of the present study reveal that…