Persistence and attrition among college students facing similar challenges: An analysis of the choice to stay or leave

As the number of students entering college declines, or levels off, and competition for these students intensifies, retaining the students they recruit will be the path to survival for many schools. When the retention effort is not successful with individual students, they withdraw from college and become an attrition statistic. This represents a cost to the institution (resources allocated to recruit that student) and lost revenue (tuition and fees). Many withdrawing students, maybe because of the emotional stress of the situation, cite reasons that will make the exit interview process as short and painless as possible. This leaves the institution in possession of withdrawal data that may not be entirely accurate or complete. Many decisions are made by institutions, particularly operational changes, relying on this data. There are two main avenues to sustaining adequate enrollments: recruit a larger class every year to compensate for those who leave; or, concentrate on retaining those recruited. At four-year institutions, retention activities benefit three classes of students, whereas recruitment efforts affect only one (Astin, 1975). Given the reality of declining enrollments and increasing competition, the greatest influence colleges and universities have over enrollment patterns is internal in nature. If the admissions effort has failed to accurately portray the institution\u27s educational and social environment, those responsible for retaining students--in many cases, all non-admissions personnel--start from a negative position. This study will involve five phases. Phase One, already completed and presented in chapter Two, involved reviewing relevant dropout and retention literature. Phase Two will involve the proposal of an enrollment enhancement plan designed to increase retention. Phase Three will involve an interview with the Dean of Students at each institution to obtain an institutional perspective on the reasons they feel students leave their institution, establish a profile of the type(s) of student(s) they feel their institution serves best, and review current retention practices. This information will be used to frame an additional question to be asked each group of interviewees. Phase Four will involve the interviews mentioned above. Phase Five will involve the analysis of the data