Student Retention Tracking at UM

How to Define Student Success or Student Retention:

• First Year Retention (& Second, Third, etc. Year Persistence)• Success in Individual Courses• Continuance in Initial Major or STEM Major • Graduation Rates (4, 5, or 6 year rates)

At UM, IR staff have analyzed retention data- Classical Logistic Regression approach, and - Classification and Regression Tree approach

Independent variables include • High school gpa (both total and core)• Standardized scores (ACT or SAT, composite or sub-scores)• Residency• Gender• Parent’s college level• FAFSA/Pell Grant recipient• Undecided major and certain majors• Race/Ethnicity• Hours taken• (Working part-time)

First Year Retention: • HS gpa is the most important indicator, followed by test

score, and residency. All other variables have less importance (though there is a difference for different majors).

• After end of the first semester, the college gpa then becomes the dominant indicator.

Key Findings:

Key Findings:Some unexpected, but reasonable findings:

• Residence Housing: Students who live in certain residence housing having lower first year retention rate. (The last housing facilities to fill up; correlates with students who are the last to register for orientation & courses; and with less qualified students, in terms of hs academic metrics.)

• Success in Math 261 (first course in Calculus): HS gpa is a stronger predictor than the math ACT subscore.

Graduation Rate:

• Directly correlates with first year retention rate• Ethnicity, Pell grants, gender, and state residency

shows up as important factors, though were less important for first year success.

• White Males>White Females, Minority Females> Minority Males

• State Residents (male and female) > Non-Residents

Key Findings:

What are we doing?

• Freshmen advised by professional advisors, rather than faculty• Retention reports fed to academic administrators and advisors

(daily in some seasons)• School-based advisors contact at-risk students• FABI and attendance scanners, with info sent to advisors• Midterm grades; students having 2 or more D or F’s are

contacted by advisors• Developed an online advising interface • Lifting of Bursar holds, temporarily, to allow registration• Survey at Orientation; survey after first month to identify at

risk characteristics

What are we doing?

• Early Fall survey of freshmen, to identify fixable problems• Non-Resident application process modified• Revamped English Composition Course (QEP)• Freshmen Year Experience Program (Freshmen Seminar course,

common reading assignment, commencement, other community building activities)

• Learning Communities (FASTrack, Luckday) and FIGS• SI and other academic interventions (e.g., Biology, Engr Bootcamps)• High-Risk Student Cohort (40-50) identified and given

additional advising• Degree Audit System shows percent completion of degree

requirements; in house system

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 201560.0%

65.0%

70.0%

75.0%

80.0%

85.0%

90.0%

UM Retention Trend

Academic Year