Delayed Enrollment and Student Involvement: Linkages to College Degree Attainment

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 08. Educational Attainment

Abstract

An increasing proportion of high school graduates are enrolling in higher education. However, a substantial share of students who enroll in higher education are delaying their enrollment after high school graduation. Recent research finds that students who delay enrolling in college are less likely to attain a college degree and are more likely to be managing significant adulthood transitions than non-delayed college students. Adult roles conflict with student roles in the lives of these delayers, but little is known about these students’ actual college experiences. This paper attempts to explore delayers’ involvement in high impact educational activities on campus in order to understand better why these students struggle to attain college degrees and whether participation in high impact activities facilitates college completion for students who delay enrollment.

Author

• Benjamin Andrews, The Ohio State University