Student retention indicates your institution’s ability to lead students to graduation. Low retention rates adversely affect higher education institutions and hinder student progress. Understanding the importance of retention and the factors that influence it can help you determine the correct actions to address concerns. Review our guide to improving student retention to discover ways to connect with your students and encourage them to complete their programs.
Student retention is a measurement for higher education that depicts how many students enroll at an institution and successfully finish their programs or degrees. A high retention rate means many enrolled students graduate from your institution, while a low retention rate indicates only some students complete their programs. Student retention is not the same as grade retention, though your institution can implement practices to ease this transition and guide students to graduation. These rates help determine an institution’s success and how well it is performing for its students.
Student retention is a measurement that colleges, universities, and technical schools can use to determine institutional success, while persistence is an individual student measurement. Persistence quantifies a student’s determination to finish their program or degree. This measurement still affects retention because persistent students are more likely to stay the course.
Administrators use multiple factors when they measure student persistence. For instance, administrators may evaluate whether the student has transferred schools, participated in many activities, or thrived academically. Additionally, some schools create personalized education paths to ensure students stay on track to graduate.
Student retention is essential because it highlights student success and an institution’s ability to encourage students to graduate. High retention rates reflect your commitment to your students and their progress. Students comparing multiple schools can use retention rates to determine whether your institution will be a good fit for them and their goals.
Additionally, low retention creates a financial loss for institutions. Administrators and other decision-makers can use these rates to identify strengths and weaknesses in curricula, programs, resources, and campus life to prevent this loss. They can use findings to set new goals, start initiatives, and open conversations about what their institution can do to drive meaningful change and keep students engaged.
Many elements affect student retention and whether students continue to the following term and toward graduation. By evaluating these variables, you can begin making changes to address pain points and keep students on track.
Many institutions measure retention by evaluating the percentage of students who complete their programs within a specific time frame. However, there are other ways to track student progress and determine retention rates.
You can measure retention by subtracting the number of students who have dropped out or transferred from your total number of enrolled students. Then, divide this number by the total enrolled students. For example, let’s say you had 5,000 students at the beginning of the term and 400 canceled enrollment. Subtract the 400 from your starting 5,000, then divide 4,600 by 5,000. This number would indicate your institution has a 92% retention rate.
Using student retention best practices will improve your institution’s ability to keep students engaged and prompt them to complete their education. Providing students with the support they need to finish their programs will encourage them to flourish.
Consider these ways to improve student retention at technical schools.
Watermark has been delivering innovative higher-ed student success solutions for over two decades. We know how to use data to increase student retention, and we’ve done it many times before. Institutions that partner with us see increased retention in as little as one year.
Watermark Student Success & Engagement is a higher education solution to increase retention. Our software uses intuitive reporting to make predictive analyses about your students. Watermark’s tools let you track attendance and receive alerts when students fall behind. You can collaborate with students to construct personalized pathways to success while keeping them engaged and supporting their needs.
Request a demo of Student Success & Engagement to begin increasing student retention.
