The Diploma Dilemma
DID YOU KNOW?
• 30% of college and university students drop out after their first year…
• About 50% never graduate…
• Today’s U.S. college dropouts are more likely to be men…
• 57% of all graduates are women…
• The success rate of students taking traditional brick and mortar classes versus online classes are similar in colleges nationwide…
• If four-year college attendees who dropped out had begun their postsecondary careers at a two-year college, they’d have had a significantly higher completion success rate…
• the number of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions is approximately 21 million…
• The percentage of full-time students at four-year institutions who complete a bachelor’s degree in four years is only 37.9%, and the completion rate after six years is only 58.3%…
• Associate’s degree holders earn about 15 to 24% more income over their lifetimes as opposed to high school only graduates…
• In 2010, associate’s degree holders earned an average of two dollars per hour higher than those who had dropped out of college…
OVERALL STUDENT DROPOUT FACTORS
Money Problems
• Overwhelming Loan Debt
• Need Full-Time Job
• Unexpected Expenses
• No Parental Financial Support
Stress of Life
• Illnesses
• Family Issues
• Failed Relationships
• Rigors of Everyday Life
Trying To Do Too Much
• More Classes Than Can Be Handled
• Too Many Extra-curricular Activities
• Working Full-Time and School Full-Time
Realizing You’ve Chosen The Wrong Career Path
• Change in Academic Interest
• Boredom with Current Path
Poor Preparation
• Not Doing Your Pre-College “Homework”
• Underestimating Workload
• Shoddy Organizational Skills
• Classes Were Too Difficult
Taking an Extended Break
• Study Habits Broken
• Just Never Returns
ONLINE/DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENT DROPOUT FACTORS
• Lack of Discipline
• Lack of Self-Motivation
• Working Alone
• Self-Paced with No Concrete Deadlines
• Poorly Constructed Online Courses
• Unresponsive/Non-Titillating Professors
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED
• Organize Work Papers
• Sleep Well
• Reward Yourself
• Keep Lists of Goals and Keep Them
• Stay Healthy
• Become Inspired – Change Scenery, Take Walks
• Don’t Procrastinate
• Get a Study Buddy
• Create a Steady Routine
• Think Positive
FAST FACTS
• The younger you are when you begin college actually increases your chances of retention…
• Being a full-time student increases your chances of graduation…
• About ⅔ of all college students graduate with student loan debts…
• Most student loan debt is held by families with a net worth of $8,500 or less…
GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!
• Allow part-time students to qualify for more financial aid assistance…
• Offer more weekend and evening courses…
• Cut the costs of tuition, fees and textbooks…
• Provide childcare…
• 60% of students said they would not attend a college if it does not offer free wifi…
• Offer AMENITIES!!…
• Invest in teaching professors HOW to teach in an online environment…
