Successfully Supporting College Students During the First Year Leads to Long-Term Retention and Graduation

• In Event: Examining Factors That Impact Student Outcomes

Abstract

Attrition rates for college students continue to be a concern for universities. One strategy to increase student persistence is providing first-year seminars (FYS) for entering students. The purpose of this study was to rigorously assess differences in 4-year persistence and graduation rates between students who participated (n = 385) in a research-based academic FYS and a matched quasi-control group who did not (n = 385). Propensity score matching was used to determine the two groups and Mantel-Haenszel tests were used to determine any significant differences in the outcomes. Some of the significant differences in the long-term outcomes exceeded 20% for FYS participants and include positive results for underrepresented groups (i.e., first-generation and conditionally admitted students, students of color).

Authors

• Angela L. Vaughan, University of Northern Colorado

• Michael Graham, Lander University

• Ivan Jay Wayne, University of Northern Colorado