Student Retention and Dropout in Higher Education Systems

Institutions of higher education have come to view the retention of college students as the only reasonable mechanism of their survival, and a growing number have turned their energies on measures through which they can mitigate the ever- increasing and worrisome student withdrawal rates. Research shows that over half of all college- entering students in the United States of America are likely to leave before they complete their first year. It is estimated that American colleges and universities lose approximately one billion dollars a year from first-year student attrition. Globalization, with its accompanying socioeconomic, demographic, and technological changes, is having a significant impact on countries' workforce and their postsecondary institutions. For a countries to successfully compete in the global economy, they need more highly educated and skilled workforces. Such workforces must be able to adapt to the needs of rapidly changing and more technically demanding global work environments. Today, six out of every ten jobs require some post-high school education and training.