Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success
Course withdrawal is common among college students, but scant empirical research has explored the effects of course withdrawal on student outcomes (e.g., persistence, degree attainment). By using statewide administrative data from Texas (N=605,362), we estimate the relationship between course withd...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention |
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| Online Access: | https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jcotr/article/view/5521 |
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| author | Ibrahim Bicak Z.W. Taylor |
| author_facet | Ibrahim Bicak Z.W. Taylor |
| author_sort | Ibrahim Bicak |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Course withdrawal is common among college students, but scant empirical research has explored the effects of course withdrawal on student outcomes (e.g., persistence, degree attainment). By using statewide administrative data from Texas (N=605,362), we estimate the relationship between course withdrawal and student outcomes, finding course withdrawal rates usually affect time to degree and degree attainment. We also find that time to degree increases as withdrawal rate increases, as the more students withdraw from courses, the fewer excess credits they accumulate. We also discover nuance in degree attainment, as data suggests a 4% withdrawal rate (about one or two courses withdrawn) may start erosion of a student’s degree progress, evidenced by the data in this study. Moreover, further course withdrawals diminished a student’s probability of earning a degree. We conclude by discussing implications for practice, policy, and future research.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1cdc3e8fb4af4efcbd9d206afd2bee3d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1534-2263 2690-4535 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention |
| spelling | doaj-art-1cdc3e8fb4af4efcbd9d206afd2bee3d2025-02-09T21:38:31ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention1534-22632690-45352024-12-0131210.24926/jcotr.v31i2.5521Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student SuccessIbrahim Bicak0Z.W. Taylor1University of ChicagoUniversity of Southern Mississippi Course withdrawal is common among college students, but scant empirical research has explored the effects of course withdrawal on student outcomes (e.g., persistence, degree attainment). By using statewide administrative data from Texas (N=605,362), we estimate the relationship between course withdrawal and student outcomes, finding course withdrawal rates usually affect time to degree and degree attainment. We also find that time to degree increases as withdrawal rate increases, as the more students withdraw from courses, the fewer excess credits they accumulate. We also discover nuance in degree attainment, as data suggests a 4% withdrawal rate (about one or two courses withdrawn) may start erosion of a student’s degree progress, evidenced by the data in this study. Moreover, further course withdrawals diminished a student’s probability of earning a degree. We conclude by discussing implications for practice, policy, and future research. https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jcotr/article/view/5521course withdrawalexcess creditstime to degreedegree attainment |
| spellingShingle | Ibrahim Bicak Z.W. Taylor Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention course withdrawal excess credits time to degree degree attainment |
| title | Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success |
| title_full | Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success |
| title_fullStr | Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success |
| title_short | Leaving Before Completing: How Course Withdrawal Predicts College Student Success |
| title_sort | leaving before completing how course withdrawal predicts college student success |
| topic | course withdrawal excess credits time to degree degree attainment |
| url | https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jcotr/article/view/5521 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ibrahimbicak leavingbeforecompletinghowcoursewithdrawalpredictscollegestudentsuccess AT zwtaylor leavingbeforecompletinghowcoursewithdrawalpredictscollegestudentsuccess |