College student retention continues to be a top priority among colleges, universities, educators, federal and state legislatures, parents and students. While access to higher education is virtually universally available, many students who start in a higher education program do not complete the program or achieve their academic and personal goals. In spite of the programs and services colleges and universities have devoted to this issue, student retention and graduation rates have not improved considerably over time. College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, Third Edition offers a solution to this vexing problem. It provides background information about college student retention issues and offers the educational community pertinent information to help all types of students succeed. The book lays out the financial implications and trends of retention. Current theories of retention, retention of online students, and retention in community colleges are also thoroughly discussed. Completely new to this edition are chapters that examine retention of minority and international students. Additionally, a formula for student success is provided which if colleges and universities implement student academic and personal goals may be attained.

The Survey of Student Retention Policies in Higher Education presents data from a benchmarking study of the retention policies of 40 American colleges. Data is broken out for public and private colleges, by Carnegie class and enrollment level, to allow for easier benchmarking. This 100+ page study presents data on: spending on consulting services to aid in student retention, spending on conferences, reports and other information and analysis about retention; percentage of colleges that have a dean or other high level administrator for retention; retention rates for students; ways in which colleges track and present retention data; perceived impact of financial assistance on retention; perceived impact of severity in grading on retention; perceived impact of tutoring services on retention; perceived impact of psychological counseling serviceson retention; perceived impact of general economic conditions on retention; perceived impact of involvement in extra-curricular activities on retention; perceived impact of the quality of food services and residence halls on retention; use of interviews of transferees or drop outs from the college; use of interviews of graduates of the college; importance of exit interviews; percentage of colleges that maintain records on students that are engaged in few or no extracurricular activities; description of college info literacy policies; percentage of colleges that offer child care services to students; role of part time job finding services; perceived importance of career services division for retention; perceived importance of the academic advising services unit for retention; perceived importance of peer mentoring for retention; percentage of colleges that intervene at pre-determined thresholds of student difficulties such as number of classes missed or low grade point average; description of college efforts to reach out to help high risk students; College spending on tutoring services; Projected future spending on tutoring services; Perceived impact of tutoring services on retention; Source of tutors; Cost of Tutors; percentage of residence halls that have student advisory centers; percentage of colleges that have hired consultants to advise on the academic advising services; Annual Budget of the academic advising unit; number of full time equivalent positions allocated to the academic advising unit; description of rate of growth in the college's financial aid to students over the past two years; description of changes in tuition levels; perceived view of the need to increase financial aid or lower tuition in order to maintain or enhance enrollment; institutional attitudes towards the encouragement of instructor-student interaction outside of class; percentage of students that need special help in reading, writing or pronouncing English; percentage of colleges that offer ESL.

Underpinned by research this book provides best practice examples of innovative and inclusive curriculum designined to improve student retention in HE.

This book draws together international research to assess the quality of successful efforts to retain students. The editors and contributors unite diverse global research from countries who have led student retention and success projects at national, institutional, faculty or program level with positive outcomes. The book is underpinned by the philosophy that a more diverse student population requires higher education institutions to fundamentally change, in order to facilitate the success of all students. All of humanity, its economies and societies, are being pummelled by waves of pandemic-induced crises in tandem with globalisation and demographic shifts. Ultimately, this book acts as a clarion to higher education institutions to better support and retain their students, in order to create a more stable learning environment.

In this 1994 classic work on student retention, Vincent Tinto synthesizes far-ranging research on student attrition and on actions institutions can and should take to reduce it. The key to effective retention, Tinto demonstrates, is in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and social community on campus. He applies his theory of student departure to the experiences of minority, adult, and graduate students, and to the situation facing commuting institutions and two-year colleges. Especially critical to Tinto’s model is the central importance of the classroom experience and the role of multiple college communities.

Drawing on studies funded by the Lumina Foundation, the nation's largest private foundation focused solely on increasing Americans' success in higher education, the authors revise current theories of college student departure, including Tinto's, making the important distinction between residential and commuter colleges and universities, and thereby taking into account the role of the external environment and the characteristics of social communities in student departure and retention. A unique feature of the authors' approach is that they also consider the role that the various characteristics of different states play in degree completion and first-year persistence. First-year college student retention and degree completion is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional problem, and the book's recommendations for state- and institutional-level policy and practice will help policy-makers and planners at all levels as well as anyone concerned with institutional retention rates—and helping students reach their maximum potential for success—understand the complexities of the issue and develop policies and initiatives to increase student persistence.

As higher educational learning enters a new age, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are seeking innovative ways to establish strategies to compete with other academic institutions. As establishments that have played a pivotal role in transforming the landscape of higher education, HBCUs are facing rapid transformation and various obstacles leading to questions regarding to the cost, quality, and sustainability of these institutions. Examining Student Retention and Engagement Strategies at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the role of HBCUs in today’s higher education and the various research methods addressing student retention rates, success levels, and engagement. While highlighting topics such as enrollment management, student engagement, and online learning, this publication explores successful engagement strategies that promote educational quality and equality, as well as the methods of social integration and involvement for students. This book is ideally designed for researchers, academicians, scholars, educational administrators, policymakers, graduate students, and curriculum designers.