Black students represent about 13% of the students who enroll in higher education and only 27% graduate within four years (NCES, 2021). Given national enrollment rates are declining, (NCES, 2022) higher education leaders face rising pressures to ensure the students who do enroll continue to matriculate toward graduation. Guided by a proposed…

This study examines whether self-efficacy predicted academic success (via self-regulation) for first-generation and continuing-generation college students (Model 1) and among various racial/ethnic groups (Model 2). The 3,316 ethnically diverse incoming freshmen from a large, urban, public university (53% first-generation) participated in this…

This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study addressed the perceptions of at-risk, Generation Z, undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), related to their persistence and retention. The problem was that many at-risk, Generation Z undergraduate…

Current persistence and completion rates have moved to the forefront in higher education nationwide. A new generation of Americans is on the rise: highly entrepreneurial, pluralistic, and determined to take charge of their own futures. There is a demand for colleges to provide more creative ways of serving and retaining students. Generation Z…

Distance education students have less access to classmates as a social resource and may, therefore, rely more on family members for support. However, first-generation students, or students who are the first in their family to attend university, may lack the academic resources that family members can provide. Overall, first-generation students in…

Based on biographical interviews from a three-generation study in Norway, this article examines the place of the contemporary "gap year" within life course transition trajectories and intergenerational relations embedded in wider patterns of social inequality. Under the heading of taking a gap year, young people on "academic…

As the next generation of college students prepare to embark on institutions of higher education, colleges and universities are faced with significant budget cuts and state expectations for increased fiscal efficiencies and student graduation rates. A greater emphasis is being placed on improving methods for attracting new students and retaining…

While dropping classes is an almost ubiquitous practice on campuses, it is far less studied than course selection or overall retention. This lack of research is striking given that the practice has implications for the evaluation of teaching, efficient use of institutional resources, time to degree, and educational inclusion. The authors present…

In this article, Daysi Ximena Diaz-Strong draws on interviews with Mexican and Central American 1.25 generation undocumented young adults to examine what shaped their access to financial resources in their college-going transitions. Although scholars have demonstrated that school agents and peers are critical to accessing resources and that…

The number of nontraditional students enrolled in higher education is rising, but retention of these students is a challenge. This study used a qualitative framework to examine the experiences of nontraditional undergraduate students in a university setting. Nine participants completed open-ended questionnaires, and we transcribed and coded the…

This year's conference theme, "Creating New Trajectories for Adult Education," provided opportunities for presenters to peruse many avenues available for investigating and engaging the field and practice of adult learning. The following proceedings contain valuable information and tools to equip education professionals further as they…

Education has until recently promoted social mobility, broad economic growth, and democracy. However, modern universities direct policy and resources toward criteria that exacerbate income inequality and reduce social mobility. Online education can make education more socially, geographically, temporally, and financially accessible, impacting the…

We surveyed literature on factors that may influence Hispanic students academically including generational status, gender roles, and use of language in the Southeastern United States and North Carolina. We discuss how risk factors can be addressed (e.g., increasing awareness of risk factors, tutoring, mentoring, and after-school programs). We…

Increased difficulty in retaining millennial students (individuals born between the years 1982-2002) within or after the first year of attending a college or university has become an alarming problem facing higher educational institutions in the United States. This study explored the opinions and perceptions of freshman, sophomore, and…

Ethnic and generational differences in motivation and achievement have been well-established. However, minimal research has examined the role of social factors on educational outcomes among individuals from diverse backgrounds. With a longitudinal sample of 408 Latino, Asian, and European-American students, we examine family, discrimination, and…