Have strategies in place from the outset to help incoming students adjust to university life. Most students leaving university early do so during their first year, so strong student retention strategies should start from the beginning of a student's college career. Design admissions office information with retention in view, immediately helping students adjust to university life. Make pre-admission and post-admission counseling available. Help students develop reasonable expectations to prevent future disappointment.
Put support networks in place to work with adult students in non-traditional ways. Adult students have a difficult time adapting to university life because most of them live off campus, have families and work full time. Entice adult students to integrate into campus social activities. Adult students have more defined goals than traditional students and often return to school for career advancement, not to obtain a degree. That's why academic advisory programs for adult students should focus solely upon scheduling concerns and goal achievement. Therefore, help adult students clarify academic goals.
Educate minority students from the outset on available financial aid and how to apply. Hispanic students, in particular, are more likely to withdraw for financial reasons than any other reason, according to a study conducted by Amaury Nora, an education professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Therefore, make academic support available for minority students in the form of counseling, on-campus activities and peer groups that focus on helping minority students adjust to university life.