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Adjusting to a new phase of life early in the college years, honing time management study skills, and choosing the right programs and courses of study so that the student continues to progress in college.
Gaining admission into a college or university and the financial aid necessary to attend is only the beginning of the student’s journey towards a college education. Equally important is that the student returns semester after semester, year after year, and persists in earning a degree. The student, the institution, and society all have a vested interest in students’ successfully attaining bachelor’s degrees. Not only will a graduate’s increased lifetime earning potential translate into increased tax revenues for society, but he and society will realize numerous other monetary and non-monetary benefits of a bachelor’s degree recipient and an educated workforce. (Click here to see a list of the personal and societal benefits of a college education.)
Research on the causes and cures of student attrition has shown that one of the keys to persistence is a personal, supportive environment as well as a strong, inclusive community. Education at an independent institution is a highly personal experience. It is marked by teachers who care about students as individuals, a wide array of counseling services, and a warm community of students, faculty, and staff who respect and support each other.
Student at private colleges and universities enjoy a lower student-to-faculty ratio (click here) than at state colleges and universities. They are also more likely to participate in study groups, talk with faculty outside of class, meet with advisors, and attend lectures, conventions, or field trips than their peers at state institutions (click here).
In addition, independent colleges and universities encourage both civic and community involvement by their students, helping them become play important roles in their communities. From volunteer recruitment fairs to voter registration drives, institutions employ an array of tactics to encourage this involvement and build stronger communities (click here). Such efforts have resulted in volunteer and voting rates among students at independent colleges and universities that are well above the national averages for all U.S. citizens. (Visit CampusCares for a comprehensive look at college and university community service activities.)
Certain students are considered especially “at risk” for dropping out of college because they possess one or more factors that create potential hurdles for a student’s persistence through graduation. These factors include students who have dependents or are single parents, are financially independent, attend part-time, delayed college enrollment after high school, work full-time, or have no high school diploma.
Students considered to be at risk choose private colleges and universities because of the personal and supportive cultures that help them succeed. In fact, students who are considered most at risk because they have four or more of these characteristics represent a higher proportion of enrollments at private colleges and universities than at four-year state institutions (click here).
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