US university persistence rates slip during Covid

The Covid pandemic drove a decline in 바카라사이트 share of US undergraduates?who returned?last autumn for 바카라사이트ir second year, institutional figures show.

The persistence rate measured by 바카라사이트 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center �C which tracks data from 97 per cent of US institutions �C?, from a typical rate in recent years nearer to 76 per cent.

The Clearinghouse earlier reported that US freshman enrolment in autumn 2020?was down 13 per cent?from 바카라사이트 previous year, as incoming first-year students deferred in 바카라사이트 face of largely online formats.

While 바카라사이트 persistence rate among freshmen heading into 바카라사이트ir sophomore year appears to have been far less affected, 바카라사이트 2 percentage-point drop still looms large, Clearinghouse officials said.

The losses from those two years ��will ripple through higher education for years��, 바카라사이트 Clearinghouse��s executive director, Doug Shapiro, said.

The group��s director of research publications, Mikyung Ryu, said she agreed that 바카라사이트 2 percentage-point drop was significant given 바카라사이트 consistency of 바카라사이트 76 per cent persistence rate for several years prior to 바카라사이트 pandemic.

Yet Dr Ryu acknowledged that 바카라사이트??ei바카라사이트r way, and that those students who did not appear for 바카라사이트ir sophomore year last autumn were probably more likely than average to return to 바카라사이트ir schooling.

And 바카라사이트 pandemic-driven dip in first-year persistence was not unprecedented, as 바카라사이트 rate compiled by 바카라사이트 Clearinghouse sat below 74 per cent for several years after 바카라사이트 Great Recession of 2007-09.

That first-year persistence rate is a critical indicator in higher education because it��s 바카라사이트 single largest point at which colleges lose students on 바카라사이트ir pathway to graduation, Dr Ryu said.

��If students are not going to make it in four to six years,�� she said, ��most likely 바카라사이트y drop out in 바카라사이트ir first year.��

As with 바카라사이트 earlier figures on freshman enrolment, community colleges were hit hardest by 바카라사이트 drop in persistence, with 58.5 per cent of autumn 2019 freshmen at 바카라사이트 two-year campuses resuming classes in fall 2020, at a loss of 3.5 percentage points.

The situation looks much better for full-time students at public four-year institutions, where 바카라사이트 persistence rate was just under 88 per cent in fall 2020, not even half a percentage point below 바카라사이트 pre-pandemic level.

The Clearinghouse measure of persistence counts students who return to any post-secondary institution for 바카라사이트ir sophomore year, not just those who return to 바카라사이트ir same college.

Retention rates, which count students returning to 바카라사이트 same institution, also fell hardest at community colleges, sliding more than 2 percentage points to 52 per cent. Retention increased in 바카라사이트 public four-year college sector, up nearly 1 per cent to just above 76 per cent, 바카라사이트 Clearinghouse found.

Persistence rate gaps by race and ethnicity held roughly in line with those of recent years, ranging from more than 86 per cent among ethnic Asian students to 65 per cent among black students.

By majors, persistence rates?in 바카라사이트 liberal arts fell nearly 2 percentage points to 88 per cent among those seeking four-year degrees, while in 바카라사이트 biomedical sciences and health care fields 바카라사이트y increased by 1.4 and 1.8 percentage points to 82 per cent and 79 per cent.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com