The best college student retention practices can truly improve not only your college's graduating rates, but also your school’s reputation, revenue, and enrollment. While there are many college recruitment strategies and retention strategies you can implement, in today’s article, we will discuss what practices are most fitting for colleges and undergraduate education. For example,  providing admissions help to post-grad programs via a graduate school admissions consultant or MBA admissions consulting services to college students seeking admission to postgraduate can be a perfect way to stand out among other post-secondary institutions. Read on to learn more about college student retention practices!


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Article Contents
5 min read

College and university dropout rates in Canada and the US Why should colleges worry about college retention? The best college retention practices Why admissions consulting would increase your student retention What can an academic consultant do for the students? Conclusion FAQs

College and university dropout rates in Canada and the US

The statistics show:

  • In the US – college dropout rates indicate that up to 32.9% of undergraduates do not complete their degree program.

  • Overall, 28% of these students in the US drop out before they even become a sophomore.

  • In Canada – the college dropout rate is at about 31%.

This means that one out of three college students who join colleges in both the US and Canada will not see their graduation days. Why does this happen? Why do so many students choose not to complete their undergraduate education? Some of these reasons include:

As a college or a university, you must work to eliminate and provide every opportunity, through your institution or through university partnerships, for students to keep up with their studies and their future goals.

Universities and colleges can increase their college student retention and provide students the support they need through BeMo's university student benefits program partnership. We provide expert, unlimited, one-on-one admissions help, academic support and career coaching to your students. Whether they're looking for essay writing workshops, interview skills building or advice on applying to competitive undergraduate programs, BeMo is here.

What’s in it for you? Keep reading to find out.

Why should colleges worry about college retention?

The main reasons your college should worry about its retention rate include:

  1. Increasing retention generates more income for your college and that means a bigger budget to expand and grow
  2. With an increased budget, you can build a better institution, expand faculties, and hire more staff – all of which add to your reputation
  3. With a high retention rate, you become favorable with government funds and subsidies because they see your institution in a positive light and worth their investment
  4. The better facilities you have and the greater the quality of your education, the more students you will be able to attract
  5. Ultimately, and most importantly, the better your research facilities the better, well-trained graduates you will have

Overall, your reputation as a successful college that cares about its student body and offers quality education is on the line if your retention rates are on the decline.

The best college retention practices

Let’s have a look at the best college student retention practices and what strategies you can adopt to keep your students in college:

Once a retention plan has been put in place, it should be revised and updated as often as possible to make sure all angles are covered – and maybe new strategies can be added too.

Why admissions consulting would increase your student retention

The highest college dropout rates – at 28% – occur during students’ freshman year. One of the best ways of increasing the retention rate is by offering post-graduation consultancy.

This way, the students will have something to look forward to regarding a path forward in their education process. They will know that after they finish college, they can go on to pursue post-graduate or professional education.

It will also make them think of a career beyond their college education, especially if they pursue a professional post-grad course in law or medicine, for example.

And finally, it will encourage them to work harder when they realize that with their education, they would be able to land a seat in some of the best schools in the world by learning how to get into Columbia Law School, Wharton School of Business, and Stanford Medical School, to name a few examples.

This is the best way of giving students an incentive to keep working towards their graduation. It is also the best way to let them know that they can have a bright future perhaps in a profession that they had never even considered before – simply because they thought it was out of their reach.

This post-graduate consultancy can be offered at the end of their final year as a graduation “gift” with the college, perhaps, covering all or half of their consultancy fees. Not only will this increase your graduation rates, but this will significantly increase your school’s reputation. Boasting that X% of your graduates enter post-graduate and professional programs will certainly make other students notice your school.

What can an academic consultant do for the students?

There are many ways a grad school admissions consultant can help prospective postgraduate students with getting into their dream programs.

Examples of some of the tasks the consultants can help with include:

Looking at what an academic consultant can do for students, in particular, we find:

Conclusion

As a college, you are expected to ensure a brighter future for every single student that passes through your gates. Every student can do with a leg up and every amount of help they can get. Facilitating a brighter future is a strategy you should adopt to increase college student retention as well as help them build a brighter future.

FAQs

1. Is pursuing a postgraduate education worth it?

Postgraduates earn more than their undergraduate counterparts. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average median weekly earnings for a person with a master's degree is $1,574, compared to $1,334 for people with a bachelor's degree and $809 for people with a high school diploma. Apart from the earnings, the unemployment rate among postgraduates is lower than their undergrad counterparts.

2. What are the current college dropout rates in the US and Canada?

The college dropout rates in the US and Canada are 32.9% and 31%, respectively.

3. What are the main reasons why college retention is a problem?

Some of the main reasons for students leaving college include financial problems, pressure caused by work-study schedule imbalance, and low academic performance.

4. How does having retention strategies help a college?

Retention strategies help establish colleges’ reputation as being educational institutions where students can expect to graduate. Also, it ensures financial security for the colleges themselves.

5. What are some of the ways a college can increase retention?

Some of the ways a college can increase retention include strong student orientation, increased education support, as well as all-inclusive engagement and counseling services to help students at all levels of their education – from admission to graduation.

6. How can admissions consulting services help enrollment and retention?

Admissions consultants help students by preparing students for the next step in their education by helping them with their essays, interviews, and other components of their application. They guide the students from start to end of the application process.

7. Why choose BeMo for your college retention?

At BeMo we have a proven track record of helping students succeed and achieve their dreams. The fact that our motto is “Get In Or Your Money Back” shows we make sure candidates get admitted to their schools of choice. Also, our 94% success rate is a testimony to how hard our experts work to ensure a successful result. A 100% satisfaction rate – proof lies in our 5-star reviews – is also testimony to our dedication to our clients.

8. Which courses does BeMo help you get into?

BeMo works with students to get into top-ranked universities that offer courses in a wide range of subjects that include business, marketing, medicine, law, and much more.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting


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