Student Progress in Higher Education: What We Have Learned from Large-Scale Studies

ABSTRACT

This review examines student progress in higher education based on 28 articles examining 25 large-scale samples of first-year entrants in higher education programs in nine countries. These articles were obtained from a search of published and publicly available research on student departure. Although the results of the studies reviewed are heterogeneous, generalized trends emerge from the synthesis of this body of research on dropout behavior, completion, and time-to-degree. The vast majority of the empirical works reviewed indicate that personal characteristics, family background, prior attainment, and financial aid are important factors influencing students’ progress. Although almost every empirical work estimates the impact of these variables, little attention has been directed toward understanding how university characteristics affect student departure; more research and more data clearly are needed to analyze these issues.