The study presents detailed data and commentary from 33 retention administrators at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The report helps its readers to answer questions such as: how have college’s and universities adjusted their retention strategies to cope with the pandemic? What percentage of students do they expect not to return in the next year as a result of the pandemic? What will be the impact on first year students plans? How has the pandemic impacted particular groups of students such as international students? Distance learning students? Students from low income backgrounds? Disabled students? What efforts have been made to address their safety, financial and other concerns? What adjustments have been made to counselling, financial aid, academic advising, mental health, tutoring and other student services to limit retention losses? What is planned for the near future? What have been the most successful measures already adopted?
Just a few of the 126-page report’s many findings are that:
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More than 37% of colleges sampled have provided financial aid to students in distress due to the pandemic.
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23% of institutions sampled have developed new online or other programs to help retain international students.
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20% of respondents felt that adjusting the terms of student loans was an effective or highly effective way to help retain students during the epidemic.
Data in the page report is broken out by size and type of institution, by tuition level, for public and private institutions and enrolment level.