Best College Student Retention Practices

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:

• An MBA admissions consultant can help in applying for MBA programs, providing guidance and feedback on writing excellent admissions essays or MBA personal statements.
• Dental school admissions consulting services prepare you for the next important step in your journey to becoming a dentist.
• With law school admissions consulting students are guided throughout the entire law school application and interviewing process which is, overall, a lengthy, complex, and competitive process.

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

• For students with low scores looking to go to business school, a consultant can show them how to explain a low GPA in MBA application.
• The students can learn how to write a grad school cover letter or show them some MBA admission essay samples they can go through to improve their writing skills.
• They can teach them about writing a statement of intent, sometimes called a statement of interest, something they will need to write to get into a master’s or PhD program and is typically requested in addition to – or instead of – the graduate school statement of purpose.
• The consultants can train the students on how to prepare for MBA interview day or even set up a law school mock interview, for example, to help boost the chances of the students getting in.
• The consultants have information about most of the top postgraduate schools and even the easiest Ivy League school for the students to apply to get the best education for their goals.

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

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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