Top Strategies for Improving Student Retention in Higher Education

It is the rule of Gen Z now. Popularly known as millennials, Gen Z stands in complete contrast with Gen X. Google is what they breathe through, mobile apps for higher education, and advanced gaming technologies to beat their boredom, what naught?

But alas, they show less interest in the concept of learning. 70% of them crave to start their own business, but without completing their higher education. Student Retention is picking up like haywire. Institutions are figuring out ways to mend this cruciality. The main blowgun to combat this issue would be to walk along with the students, providing help whenever needed.  Leading the student from recruitment through course evaluation will help build a bond and security.

What is student retention?

Student retention refers to the ability of an educational institution to keep enrolled students enrolled until they have completed their academic program or attained their educational goals. In other words, it is the percentage of students who continue to enroll in the same institution over a period of time.

Student retention is a critical measure of an institution's success in providing quality education, and it is important for both students and institutions. For students, high retention rates indicate that they are receiving high-quality education and that they are able to successfully achieve their educational goals. For institutions, high retention rates indicate that they are meeting the needs of their students and that they are successful in creating an environment that promotes student success.

Factors That Affect Student Retention

Academic performance: Students who struggle academically may be more likely to drop out of college. Factors that can impact academic performance include course difficulty, lack of study skills, poor time management, and test-taking skills.      

Financial stability: Many students struggle to afford college fees and other expenses and may drop out due to financial difficulties. Financial aid, scholarships, and other forms of support can help students overcome these challenges.    

Social integration: Students who feel a sense of connection and belonging to their college community are more likely to continue their studies. Peer relationships, participation in campus activities, and accessibility to support services are all factors that can affect social integration.

Institutional support: Students need a variety of resources to succeed in college, such as academic advising, tutoring, and mental health services. Institutions that provide strong support services can help students stay enrolled and succeed academically.  

Personal factors: Personal issues such as health problems, family responsibilities, and stress can also impact student retention. Students who feel overwhelmed or unsupported may be more likely to drop out of college.

Student Success and Retention - How?

Statistics show that 1 in 9 students either transfer or drop out in the first year of college. Though a pressing one, after all, the news isn’t all bad. Universities and colleges create action plans to implement a well-thought-out plan for student retention.

This can invariably improve degree attainment rates and prepare students well for successful and satisfying post-academic lives. Leading college student retention to successful course completion is possible with the right student lifecycle management system. Such software with out-of-the-box retention solutions and cloud/mobile technology would be a key student retention component. It will drive student success, achieving favorable outcomes.

What other things can higher education professionals do to attain a good student retention level? Do they follow retention strategies or provide tools to effectively engage every stage of the student’s journey? Read on. Here we have churned out 15 ideas to improve student retention and success level in higher education.

Strategies for Improving Student Retention in Higher Education

• Provide Scholarship Opportunities
• Enrich Campus Security
• Choosing a fitting course of study
• Mentoring from day one
• Improve student attendance
• Inculcate the habits of “Success”
• The first-year experience
• Make learning interesting
• Real-time student tracking
• Learning Community
• Students engagement
• Discussion forums
• Leverage on-demand campus resources
• Student survey
• Mobile-friendly

1. Provide placement and scholarship opportunities

One of the most important predictors of student retention in higher education is scholarship and placement opportunities. Invariably financial problems add to the student’s psychological stress. Sources from Times Higher Education states that 1 out of 4 college students in Germany drop out mainly due to financial problems. The case is worse in the US where nearly half of the students avail loans for higher education. Unable to pay, they are pushed into a brutal debt cycle, forced to quit studies.

Arne Duncan, the Former United States Secretary of Education quote adds light here. "The most expensive degree is the one you do not complete." Students should therefore be out of this agony. Reduction in college costs can save a bunch of them.

Similarly, they can even apply for scholarships and grants, gather details on how to apply for work-study. A better idea could be to work part-time for a year to save up money. Enrolling in a community college for a two-year degree where tuition is inexpensive could also work.

2. Enrich campus security

Campus security is becoming a threat to student retention these days. Public institutions and state universities are working towards this, aiming students to feel secure. Sexual assaults, gender-based violence, violence on campus, cybersecurity, and many others challenge student retention.

3. Choosing a fitting course of study

The next area of concern for student retention would be this. Students initially find it difficult to adjust to the new environment. Confusions pertaining to the course they really want to register for—core, elective or minor, or soft skill courses.

Student enrollment system and a choice-based registration system provide clear student pathways to pick streams of their choice to excel. Apart from learning at their own pace, they enhance their skills by taking up projects, vocational training, and entrepreneurship. Job opportunities and student retention expand.

4. Mentoring

The key to student retention lies in the areas of regular mentoring. Mentoring from day one makes students feel secure which becomes a critical factor in student success. An institution that recommends a regular meet-up of its first-year students with advisors reduces student dropout majorly.

Campus programs, seminars courses, and placements cells with highly helpful, knowledgeable, and accessible advisors improve retention rates. Immediately after high school, the graduates in the first year definitely look for a bond from their advisor(s). Such a bond enhances student retention.

5. Improve student attendance

The freshmen need a structured design from the beginning. The new students even if they are behind by a week, are at risk for, leading to dropouts. Implementing a mandatory student attendance management system works best here.

A system that sends instant notifications or alerts to students' parents, and guardians will curb student retention. This followed by an immediate action plan trying to figure out why the student is absents himself will make things much simpler.

6. Inculcate the habits for success

Students basically drop out of colleges or universities because they lack clarity about what is expected of them. A dedicated cell that habituates success can help amplify the student retention level, boosting campus life and graduate rate. The best methodology to adopt here would be to spell out "Student Success".

An institution that defines its shared vision of success to its student group retains its students. Setting high but achievable expectations by rendering necessary support for achievement.

7. The first-year experience

If you care about student retention in your higher education institute, this first-year experience program helps a lot. The lack of integration is the most common reason why students drop out of higher education.

Students in the first year take time to adjust to the new academic environment. They develop an aloofness that they don't match the community. Excellence flourishes in a culture that encourages idea generations, experimentation, and pilot projects. In short, achieving excellence in the first year becomes a handy cudgel for student retention.

8. Make learning innovative and interesting

When students are content with the educational environment, their focus on their studies increases. Make things easier for them by uploading syllabus, assignments and lesson plans, and relevant content directly into the learning management system.

This way students' accessibility to the course content becomes easier and they feel contented and motivated to study. Reporting and analytics can help identify the areas students face difficulties in and overcome them. This can improve their success ratio and build student retention.

9. Real-time student tracking

Track student attendance, grades, assignments, assessments, and discipline activities in the classroom in real-time to deal with student retention. Higher education software should allow you to view student progression information, academic progress, exam scores, and other detailed course information.

Such an easy-to-use interface will give real-time alerts to both students and teachers. This way, students get a clear indication that they are experiencing gaps in the course content and make recommendations immediately.

10. Learning Community

Learning communities lead to an assortment of positive outcomes, building student retention. It increases students' engagement to create a sense of academic and social community. Building learning groups to work together fosters collaborative learning.

There can be other ways like flipped learning, peer-assisted learning, case pedagogy, and many more. These teaching methodologies will improve academic achievement, self-learning, and earning of credits.

11. Engagement of students with an online model of teaching

It is very true that a student engaged is a student retained. There is no more stigma associated with the online way of education. Count on us, the software does everything these days and this could be an effective student retention strategy. Education software these days promote a pleasant way of teaching that actually interests students.

User friendly, and analytical with dashboards and reports, the student gets everything they had been looking for. They find it an easily accessible alternative to graduation. Direct assessment, outcome-based education (OBE), competency-based education (CBE), continuous improvement planning, curriculum mapping, and remedial have gained acceptance and respectability. Thanks to the quality and flexibility that comes along with the online mode of teaching.

12. Discussion forums

Working on student retention is possible with Discussion Forums. An institution should empower and engage students. Right from initial inquiry and admission progress to graduation, it needs to support and assist students.

A well-equipped student information system and learning management system come to the rescue here. With these, students can be majorly encouraged. More participation will evolve through chats, social media, and online discussion forums to share course information. Top-level services and channels should be provided by the institutes in order to keep the students engaged. Students like to share their views too.

13. Leverage on-demand campus resources

Video tutorials, document templates, and FAQs can assist students complete applications, registering for classes, or conducting other tasks without any hassle.

14. Student survey

Never ignore this idea! Conduct polls and student surveys frequently. This could be the best way to prevent student dropouts and build student retention. Many students quit their education simply without knowing the issues. You can make sure that your curriculum produces the best possible learning outcomes by using course evaluation surveys. With the result obtained from surveys, the administration can work on concerns as and when they arise.

15. Mobile-friendly

Extending student services across mobile devices boosts students' confidence when it comes to accessing content. Institutes should have a tight-knit, organized environment that will keep students informed at every stage.

SMS alerts and push notifications to keep them engrossed. Optimizing academic activities including syllabus, assignments, and tests enables students to browse and quickly find the information they need. Uploading online tutorial videos through smartphones can propagate easy learning, exactly the way today’s Gen Z prefer.

Let’s get started

Are you ready to drive student success at your institution?

Creatrix’s student lifecycle management system offers out-of-the-box student retention solutions that drive compelling student success. Institutions get opportunities to

• Plan students' degree progress by picking up the right courses
• Prompt student success through student advising
• Brings student services at their reach
• Predictive analytics that boosts student success rates
• Student progress tracking for continuous improvement
• Student portfolio for ultimate placements
• Better connection through the mobile app
• Early alerts as a key for student success

Ready to take advantage of all that Creatrix Student Information System has to offer? Contact our team to know about Creatrix Services to get started quickly.