Just 15 percent of students who have stopped out of college describe their activity level in college as very involved, either in up to a few or many activities.
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Student success–focused professionals spend a lot of energy keeping tabs on struggling student trends, plus individual situations, to help them to stay in college, but just as important is getting a clear picture of which students wind up walking away.
Tyton Partners’ 2024 Listening to Learners study found a gap in awareness of supports for those currently in college versus those with some college credits but no degree. About half of current students knew about supports such as academic advising and mental health services, while for stop-outs this awareness dropped to 44 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, a 2024 report from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California, Los Angeles, revealed that about one in four stopped-out students see not feeling as if they fit in as a very important or important piece of their decision.
Of course, there’s no one reason or collection of reasons that lead to leaving college. The HERI report and other research have looked at financial factors influencing an inability to stay. What roles might education quality, wellness, campus climate or campus involvement play?
The college experience, pre–stopping out: A July Student Voice survey of 206 individuals with some college but no degree, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab to complement a May Student Voice survey of 5,025 current undergraduates’ experiences, asked about:
- The quality of education received while in college
- The extent to which mental health, stress or physical health impacted their ability to focus while in college
- What’s driving the so-called student mental health crisis
- How they would rate their former institution’s efforts to support students with career exploration and development
- How they would describe the campus climate at their former institution (regarding how welcomed, valued and supported all students feel)
- How they would describe their involvement in campus activities (including clubs and organizations, research opportunities, a paid position or volunteer roles) while in college.
Somewhat surprisingly, stop-outs describe their college experiences similarly to current students when it comes to barriers to focusing, the reasons for so many students struggling with mental health, and campus climate assessments.
Three factors emerged as different for the two groups.
In terms of the quality of education received in college, those with some college but no degree rated it as average (43 percent), fair (13 percent) or poor (6 percent), for 62 percent total. That’s compared to 27 percent of current students (19 percent saying average, 6 percent saying fair and 2 percent saying poor).
Career exploration and development efforts were less rosy to stop-outs, too. Over half (62 percent) rated these efforts at their former institution as average (42 percent), below average (15 percent) or poor (5 percent). For current students, 47 percent gave mediocre or negative ratings: 35 percent average, 9 percent below average and 3 percent poor.
The third gap in experiences for stop-outs versus current students involves campus involvement. Six in 10 stop-outs report not participating in any activities, research or paid or volunteer work while in college, compared to 35 percent of current students. On the flip side of engagement, just 15 percent of stop-outs were very involved in at least one activity on campus, compared to 40 percent of current students.
Belonging and staying: “The lack of involvement in campus activities often correlates with a weaker sense of belonging, which can play a significant role in retention, in my opinion,” says Steven Couras, director of residence life and student conduct at Drew University in New Jersey. “In my 14 years in the field, I’ve consistently seen that students who engage in even just one club, organization, campus event or program tend to form stronger connections with peers and the campus community that help support them through challenges they may face during their journey.”
As for students who don’t get involved, they often struggle to find a sense of belonging, Couras says. “Without those connections and experiences, it can be harder for them to see the value of staying in college, especially when they encounter academic or personal challenges. This is why promoting student engagement is so important. It not only enhances the college experience but can also be a big factor in student retention.”
In a 2021 infographic on the five components of belonging that impact staying engaged with the college or university during studies and even after graduation, EAB identifies curricular and social engagement as one of those components.
In practice, encouraging engagement means breaking down barriers hindering participation and having something for everyone to get involved in. Indiana University Indianapolis, for example, plans two Weeks of Welcome—or WOW programming—to make campus fun at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Among the dozens of free events this fall were a 5-K race, a glow event with a DJ and food trucks, a spirit night at a women’s volleyball game, and a student involvement expo.
Last school year, the student affairs team analyzed data from 1,409 first-year students surveyed and found that those who had attended WOW events had a fall-to-fall retention rate 11 percentage points higher (75 percent) than those who did not. In addition, students who held a membership and/or a leadership position in a student organization were retained from fall 2022 to fall 2023 at a rate 14 percentage points higher than first-year undergraduates who did not get involved at all.
Conversations about involvement: At Drew University, Couras and his colleagues have “emphasized the importance of involvement throughout the year but especially during orientation and those first few important weeks of the semester.”
He doesn’t currently go as far as telling students that involvement can increase their likelihood of staying in college, but he could envision being more direct about that connection in the future. “We strongly encourage participation by talking about and showcasing the many benefits: personal development, leadership opportunities, résumé building, making memories and creating a network of peers and mentors.”
What new tactic have you been using to get students more involved on campus? Tell us about it.
