Study of Students' Intention to Leave College during Their Freshman Year.

Abstract

The issue of first year student retention has major financial ramifications for institutions of higher education, state and federal governments, and most importantly, the students who decide to depart. This research inquiry used a collective case study to answer the following question: Why do first-time degree seeking students at a large public research university indicate they plan to leave (stop-out or dropout) prior to the start of classes? This study employed John Bean’s (2005) Nine Themes of College Student Retention as a theoretical construct to understand the problem. Ten resident students and eleven nonresident students from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa participated in the study. Results demonstrated that finances was the overarching theme affecting students’ intentions and decision-making for both residents and nonresidents. Implications for practice demonstrate that the rising cost of tuition nationwide are influencing students’ enrollment intentions and decisions. Furthermore, institutions of higher learning and stakeholders, such as state governments and boards of regents, should consider finding alternate means for funding colleges and universities beyond raising tuition.