Early Success and Persistence: Key Factors for Timely Degree Completion

Research shows that first-year performance and persistence significantly boost timely degree completion, highlighting the need for improved student support strategies.

A recent study from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has shed light on the important relationship between students’ first-year performance and their persistence into the second year, emphasizing how these factors influence the likelihood of completing a degree on time.

Focusing on newcomers entering college in 2016, the findings underscore the significant role that staying enrolled plays in both associate and bachelor’s degree completion.

Background on College Completion

Currently, there are over 36 million individuals in the U.S. who have accumulated college credits without actually earning a degree.

This situation illustrates notable deficiencies in higher education, often translating into unfulfilled aspirations and lingering student loan debt.

To combat this issue, many colleges and universities are revising their retention strategies, aiming to help students achieve their degrees more effectively, which can also alleviate some of the financial pressures associated with education.

Early Indicators of Success

According to the recent findings from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, early success in college—characterized by performance in the first year and maintaining enrollment into the second—are key predictors of completing a degree within the expected timeframe.

Supporting this, a 2023 survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse revealed that 69% of undergraduate participants anticipated graduating within the traditional two or four years.

However, 13% acknowledged that they might encounter delays due to their own plans, while another 3% pointed to shortcomings within their institutions as potential hindrances.

The federal government assesses graduation rates for first-time degree seekers within six and eight years.

Yet, it’s essential to recognize that most associate and bachelor’s programs are structured for completion in two and four years, respectively.

Data from 2017 reported a six-year completion rate of 62.2% for all college students enrolling in two- and four-year institutions, highlighting a stark gap of 34 percentage points between private nonprofit four-year colleges (77.5%) and public two-year colleges (43.4%).

Factors Influencing Timely Completion

Finishing a degree on time not only alleviates financial burdens but can also significantly enhance socioeconomic mobility among students, while helping institutions streamline their resource allocation.

However, a variety of factors, including personal challenges, academic issues, and institutional policies, can impede timely progression.

In particular, obstacles like unclear degree requirements and insufficient academic advising warrant particular attention.

The report explored numerous early indicators of success, including first-year GPA, credit completion rates, continuation into the second year, and total credits earned, assessing how these elements correlate with completion among diverse credentials and student demographics.

Timely completion is defined as earning the intended credential within an acceptable timeframe, acknowledging variations across degree types.

The investigation delved into four critical components: the ratio of credits completed in the first year, the total number of credits earned, first-year GPA, and second-year enrollment.

The cohort primarily consisted of first-time, full-time students starting in the fall of 2016, with 63% pursuing bachelor’s degrees and 37% pursuing associate degrees.

It’s worth noting that the data came from the Postsecondary Data Partnership, implying it may not encapsulate the broader national student landscape.

The key takeaway from the findings is that the majority of students who achieved timely completion exhibited favorable early indicators—such as accumulating a substantial number of credits, maintaining GPAs above 3.3, and enrolling for their second year.

The researchers highlighted that students who finished their degrees within expected timeframes consistently outperformed their non-completing peers across various demographic categories, including race, gender, age at enrollment, and chosen major.

Moreover, even students who took longer than anticipated—spending 150% to 200% of the standard time—also exhibited higher success indicators than those who did not graduate at all.

Typically, students who completed their degree programs registered stronger academic performance during their first year, achieving better GPAs, accumulating more credits, and completing about 90% of the credits they attempted.

They were also more likely to continue their education into the second year, irrespective of whether they remained at their initial institution.

Among students seeking associate degrees or certificates, persistence from the first to the second year proved crucial for timely completion, with second-year enrollment rates dropping 32 percentage points for those who did not finish their degrees compared to those who succeeded.

In contrast, for bachelor’s degree seekers, first-year GPA emerged as the primary early indicator of success, followed closely by retention into the second year.

Interestingly, a student’s major appeared to affect their chances of on-time completion.

Those majoring in social sciences or business were more likely to graduate within the expected timeframe compared to their peers.

On the other hand, students in STEM fields or pursuing social sciences as associate degree seekers also demonstrated higher completion rates.

However, the study’s classification of fields of study as demographic variables limited the analysis of specific program requirements that could influence completion rates.

The authors emphasized the importance of implementing targeted, data-driven interventions aimed at promoting early academic success, improving retention strategies, and addressing specific challenges within programs to boost overall degree completion rates.

Source: Insidehighered