Counseling Center Retention Study Group Spring 2010 1 Seniors Who Leave College During a Semester

Seniors who officially withdraw from an institution of higher education before the completion of their degree program have been a concern to institutions of higher education for many years, for these are students who have demonstrated both the competence and the commitment needed to reach their senior year. Institutional data typically can describe withdrawing seniors’ advising college, the total number of their attempted and earned credits, and their cumulative GPA at the time of their departure. It also can reveal the number of semesters the withdrawing seniors had completed, and the number of times they had been academically dismissed. These data, however, do not show the concerns of withdrawing seniors that led to their decision officially to withdraw during a semester and after they had completed at least 90 of the 120 (minimum) credits needed to earn their undergraduate degree.