Student retention and how to improve it

What is student retention? 

Student retention is an important metric of success for students, colleges, and universities. Sometimes it can be called student persistence or student progress; this metric is often measured in return rates among the entire student population.  

In the simplest of terms, retention is about students remaining in one higher education institution and completing a programme of study.  

High student retention rates are important therefore as they indicate that there is a higher percentage of students staying with an institution and not dropping out prematurely.  

Lots of higher education institutions will implement a variety of retention strategies to help students progress, stay engaged, and be successful with their studies.  

Why is student retention important? 

Student retention is important for many reasons. More recently the pressure to improve retention rates has been rising for colleges and universities as student dropout rates continue to rise dramatically year on year.  

According to Press Association, two-thirds of universities have recorded a rise in student dropouts over the past five years.  It is important to be aware of dropout rates in an institution to have a better understanding why, so rates can be monitored more closely.  

It is crucial to understand why more and more students are dropping out to put better support in place, so students don’t feel overwhelmed, lonely, or isolated and feel that dropping out is the only solution.  

There are many other reasons why student retention is important including: 

1. Academic success  
2. Financial stability  
3. Reputation  
4. Student satisfaction  
5. Equity and access  

1. Academic Success  

Often high retention rates correlate with improved academic performance. When students not only stay enrolled, but involved, and complete their programs of study by immersing themselves into university life, they are more likely to achieve their educational goals and complete their study programs.  

Through achieving better academic success, students can feel proud of their progress and it can be used as motivation to continue with their studies. Equally this is important for universities and colleges as they can identify what areas of courses or academic life students struggle with the most with to ensure the best guidance and support is offered so students don’t feel deflated, hopeless or unsupported, and can still achieve the best results possible for them. 

Improving academic success is important therefore as it encourages students to carry on with their studies until they graduate. Through offering better quality teaching and support students can feel they are getting better value for money and are more likely to stay, improving retention, and reducing dropout rates.  

2. Financial stability  

Student retention is important as it provides institutions with better financial stability. Most education institutions rely on tuition fees and government funding to operate accordingly.  

When an institution experiences high dropout rates, institutions can experience a loss of revenue, a drop in the quality of teaching and facilities they provide, and ultimately more and more students leaving which in the long term makes the situation worse.  

3. Reputation  

Another reason why student retention is important is because higher retention rates improve your institution’s reputation. This is crucial when advertising your institution to the students of next year.  

If a university or college has a bad reputation with high dropout rates the likelihood of new students attending there the following year is very slim. To ensure that the amount of government funding and tuition fees grows it is crucial that retention rates are monitored and continually assessed to find new ways to improve them.  

Not only does it help students currently at your institution to stay but it also encourages new students to join year on year by suggesting to new potential students that your institution offers everything they are looking for.  

Here with the continued influx of students year on year and consistent tuition fees and funding coming through, your institution can then use this money to improve the facilities further to continue to build a better reputation and attract more and more students each year.  

4. Student satisfaction  

Student retention is also important as students who complete their studies are more likely to have a positive educational experience and become satisfied alumni.  

This is crucial for institutions as a large, satisfied alumni can then be strong advocates for your institution and can help contribute to long term success. By having a strong alumnus, these ex-students can then fill out surveys and speak to potential new students about their experiences and why your institution would be a great place for them too.  

5. Equity and Access  

Improving retention rates is also important as it can help ensure students from diverse backgrounds have equal access to educational opportunities and that barriers to success are reduced or eliminated.  

This way no student is left without the opportunity to go to a higher education institution if they want to and have the ability. To keep retention rates high, it is also crucial for institutions to be aware of any potential language or cultural barriers students may struggle with to ensure the right support is in place so these barriers can be avoided.  

Student dropout rates – Why have they been increasing? 

To understand fluctuations in retention rates it is crucial to know and understand why students are dropping out. This is because it allows your institution to make improvements to their teaching quality and their support networks to improve the wellbeing of your students, and educate students there are more options than dropping out.  

1. Strikes, the pandemic, and cost-of-living crisis 

One of the biggest reasons dropout rates have been increasing in the last few years is due to the disruption and changes many students have had to face due to the pandemic, strikes, and now the cost-of-living crisis.  

One of the main reasons the recent events of the last few years have caused dropout rates to increase is due to the disruption of learning. Both Covid and strikes have led to disruptions to the traditional form of in-person teaching. Strikes caused lectures, workshops, and seminars to be cancelled, sometimes at the last minute, and the pandemic led to a quick shift to remote and online learning which presented many challenges for some students. This disruption and lack of a normal routine led to declines in mental health and wellbeing, engagement, and motivation.  

Due to university life all being accessed online, some students also found it difficult to find support when they needed it, leaving them to feel more isolated and ultimately end up dropping out of university altogether.  

Equally, due to the disruption for some institutions the influx of students needing support rose dramatically meaning waiting lists for counselling and student support services spiraled. Some universities found that 1 in 4 students are either using or waiting to use university counselling services. The limited access to academic advising, counselling, or other support resources can hinder a student’s success. The long waiting times also mean that students’ mental health and wellbeing declines further until they see no other option than to drop out.  

Due to both the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis some students have financially not been able to afford to go to university anymore and have to dropout. Some then restart courses nearer to home and commute and some don’t restart at all.  

The student mental health report 2022 states that financial pressures are the second most common factor impacting student’s health and wellbeing.  

It is clear therefore that external societal factors can be a big influencing factor on why student dropout rates have been increasing. Many students dropout due to a combination of different reasons as they feel they either don’t have access to the support they need or don’t know where to go to get the support they need. 

2. Financial constraints  

Like the cost-of-living crisis, financial concerns and constraints in general can also be another reason why students dropout. For some the increase in tuition fees in general can often be a deterrent to people going to university altogether and the changes to grants and loan terms throughout their course can mean that students can no longer afford to attend.  

Many students find their loans do not cover their rent and bills so many must result in part-time or full-time work alongside their studies. The pressures of balancing higher education studies, working, and family life can then become very overwhelming. This can lead to a decline in their academic success and their mental wellbeing. In the long term this can be detrimental and can lead to burnout and then a student dropout.  

3. Lack of social interaction and integration  

Dropout rates are also on the rise is due to students feeling isolated and lonely. Often when students move to college and university, they don’t know many other students going, if any at all. This can be daunting for anyone, especially for students moving to a different area, as this would be the first time away from home for a long time.  

For individuals that struggle to meet and socialise with new people this can be even harder. It can be a massive culture shock, students may feel embarrassed that college or university life isn’t what they anticipated it would be.  Often attendance will start to drop, as will their academic success. At this point a student can be stuck in a vicious cycle not knowing what to do to improve their experience until they then decide to dropout.  

4. Personal reasons 

One the last reasons why student dropouts are increasing is due to personal reasons. Now this is quite broad and lots of reasons can fall into this category such as: 

• Academic challenges – finding a course too hard or not what you expected  
• Friendship and relationship breakdowns  
• Homesickness 
• Bereavements  
• Struggling to live independently and managing their own money  
• Language barriers  
• Cultural differences  
• Pre-existing mental health problems  

The examples above show there are a variety of personal reasons why students may struggle at college or university leading to them dropping out. Coping with these personal problems can be more difficult or university students as it can be the first time they are having to deal with them away from their typical support network. 

Studies by IPPR have also shown that just under half of university students who reported experiencing a mental health problem do not disclose this with their university. A record number of over 1,100 students who experience mental health problems have dropped out over the last year which is a massive 210% increase compared to 2009/2010.   

Lucy’s journey below demonstrates some of the personal reasons she experienced at university and why she self-referred herself to social prescribing.  

How to measure student retention? 

Once your institution learns and understands why student's dropout the next important step in improving student retention is knowing how to measure it. There are many student retention strategies and methods to do this.  

1. Retention Rate  

When measuring retention rates, it is often expressed as a percentage through calculating the proportion of students who continue their studies from one academic period to the next. It is typically worked out using the formula below: 

Retention Rate % = Number of continuing students/initial enrollment x 100  

2. First year retention rate 

Another common way when measuring student retention across higher education institutions is first year retention rate. Here this metric solely focuses on the retention of first-year students. This metric is highly useful as it can indicate how well an institution can support its students during their first year as they adjust to college or university life.  

3. Student Surveys  

Student surveys offer another great way to measure student retention and engagement. These surveys can provide qualitative insights into students’ experiences and reasons for considering leaving or staying at your institution. 

4. Exit Interviews  

To understand why students leave your institution, offering exit interviews is a way to uncover the specific reasons for dropping out, so you can deal with these issues directly to prevent students from dropping out in the future for the same reasons.  

5. Predictive analysis  

Measuring retention can also be done through analysing data to predict students at risk of dropping out and putting in preventative measures to ensue that doesn't happen.

This proactive measure can analyse attendance, grades, and engagement to ensure interventions take place before it is too late.  

Student Retention Strategies - What are they? 

There are many strategies for improving student retention. Some can work better than others. However, it is important to note that some strategies may work better for some students than others depending on their needs. It’s best therefore to use a variety of strategies to cater to every student need.  

Because of this, university student retention strategies can differ from person to person and by course. University and colleges can recognise this by the different ways they measure student retention, so they can put better support in place to avoid dropouts. For example, nursing attrition is becoming a significant concern in the UK. Many universities and colleges are looking for more strategies to keep nursing students engaged, motivated, and happy. Some nursing student retention strategies include: 

• Automated text messaging systems – e.g.  reminders of where to seek support, reminders of deadlines and other important information related to their course  
• An Academic, Personal, and Professional Learning (APPL) support system – to ensure support for every aspect of their university life is catered for  
• Pastoral adviser service – some universities also assign a specific academic advisor to each student to have a direct contact throughout their university program  

Student Retention Strategy Examples  

As already discussed, student retention strategies in higher education can massively differ. Many colleges and universities may already be using different strategies, but they may not be as successful as they could be.  

Regardless of how many strategies your institution uses, it is important to note two things. The first is that all strategies should be able to support all aspects of university life whether its social, academic, personal, or for health reasons. The second is that all strategies should be regularly evaluated to assess whether they are helping and delivering the desired outcome.  

Some of the most common student retention strategy examples include: 

• Academic support services – tutoring, mentoring, and academic advising  
• Financial aid, scholarships, and hardship funds  
• Early interventions – through noticing a decline in attendance  
• Orientation and transition programs  
• Counselling  
• Flexible scheduling  
• Retention incentives  
• Peer mentoring  
• Increasing use of GP surgeries on site  
• Multiple societies to suit all interests  

Student retention strategies higher education – How effective are they? 

Despite there being a variety of retention strategies being available across higher education, services can differ massively due to budgets, the number of qualified support workers and counsellors available, and the integration of services across the institution.  

Equally, strategies might not always be as effective due to limited engagement. It is vital that as well as having the services available to also reduce the stigma about seeking support amongst students if you are struggling.  

The effectiveness of student retention strategies therefore depends on the context and how well they align with the unique challenges each student can face.  Continuous flexibility and the ability to adapt strategies is needed to best cater to every individual need to create a stronger supportive learning environment for all your students.

How to improve student retention in higher education? 

One way to improve your student retention strategies so they become more effective is using a model to bring all your support services together to deliver a more supportive unified approach.  

Adopting a social prescribing model therefore provides an alternative way to help students manage their wellbeing better. Through analysing data including attendance, engagement, grades attained, students can be referred to a wellbeing coach or manager,  Social Prescribing Link Worker, or a community navigator where they can discuss their issues and co-produce a social prescription to help them achieve their independent goals.  

Social prescribing has been growing in popularity in recent years since it has been embedded within the NHS’ long term plan. Now the social prescribing movement is working hard to demonstrate how the model can be adapted in more sectors than just primary care. At Access Elemental Social Prescribing we want to demonstrate how using social prescribing models and solutions helps to facilitate information about all your support services in your institution and the local area in one populated place to make it easier and quicker to refer to students the support they need or want.   

Social prescribing in education offers numerous benefits for universities and colleges including their  student support services and their students. For example, it can provide students with a sense of belonging to encourage a more positive work environment for better academic success. Through offering more diversified support services, student support centres are less likely to be overwhelmed by demand and can help organise and deliver better targeted support.  

Investing in our digital social prescribing delivers better safe and assured pathways for students through our pre-approved Directory of Services to ensure students never get referred to services or interventions that don’t match their needs or are out of date. We also offer an option for students to self-refer straight into the system to get help straight away instead speaking to a lecturer support worker to make the referral. This, in turn, makes referrals seamless. stress-free, and helps to reduce the stigma around student mental health by making it accessible and easy to use.  

For more information on how to unlock student success and improve retention rates download our social prescribing in university guide now.  

Summarising the strategies for student retention 

In this article, I have explained what student retention is and why it is important, as well as why student drop-out rates are increasing.  

This article has shown that often when an individual dropouts of university or college normally there are multiple reasons and that it can be a buildup of different issues over time.  

This article has also addressed how factors out of a student’s control such as the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have also impacted their higher education experience and how the disruption and financial woes have made it continuously difficult for students to complete their studies.  

Measuring student retention therefore can be complex. There are many ways this can be done. One of the biggest ways to achieve this is through collecting data from numerous sources. But, to implement this successfully it is crucial all this information can be found and monitored in one place. This in turn, will make it easier to measure, report, and evidence the impact of your student retention strategies to identify what services need improving.  

Investing in our social prescribing software allows you to report all this information in one place to save time re-inputting data across numerous spreadsheets and forms. Here you can get a fully centralised view on the impact of adopting a social prescribing model to better faciliatate your student retention strategies.  

Here our robust reporting and wellbeing tools allows your institution to gain a better overview of a student’s pastoral journey to hel make better data-driven decisions in the future. This, in turn helps to prove evidence for social prescrbing in education to help you secure future funding to support more students in the future.  

Download our social prescribing in university guide today to find out how much money you could save by improving your dropout rates by 20%.  

Contact us and we can show you firsthand how our social prescribing software can offer your institution a succinct way to track and monitor all your data to demonstrate the impact and value your student wellbeing programs provide your students.