Predicting Student Retention at a Four-Year University: An Examination of Student and Department Predictors

• In Event: Structural and Individual Dimensions of College Experiences

Abstract

This study examines factors that predict first-year retention including student-level variables such as high school GPA and ACT score and membership in a STEM department. To do so, this study employed a 2-level hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) with students nested within departments. The results suggest that, at level 1, ACT score and first-semester college GPA were significant predictors of retention. Further, the results reveal that at level 2, there was a difference in retention between STEM and non-STEM departments after controlling for the level-1 covariates, with students in STEM departments more likely to be retained compared to those in non-STEM departments.

Authors

• Bo Klauth, Western Michigan University

• Jessaca K. Spybrook, Western Michigan University