STUDENT RETENTION AT IUPUI Demographic Background, Academic Preparation, Gateway Courses and Financi

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STUDENT RETENTION AT IUPUI Demographic
Background, Academic Preparation, Gateway Courses
and Financial Aid

• Derek V. Price, Ph.D.
• Student Financial Aid Research Network
• Portland, Oregon
• June 22, 2007

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Purpose of the Study

• Retention at IUPUI is not budging
• State and federal accountability pressures
• External research may have more leverage on
  institutional policy and practice
• Need to measure both academic and financial
  factors..
• Does grant financial aid really matter?

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Who is in the Sample?

• Fall 2003, First-Time Full-Time Cohort, N 2,088
• 82 percent White 9 percent African-American
• 25 percent from families with income lt 33,000
• 76 percent received financial aid or borrowed
• 89 percent 19 years or younger
• 58 percent women
• Mean SAT 993
• 1/3 graduated in top 25 of high school
• 7.3 units of math (avg.) completed in high school

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Source Education Trust
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Methodology

• Creation of longitudinal cohort database from
  series of term records for each student
• Derivation of dummy variables for race and
  ethnicity, age, and family income
• Derivation of financial aid variable measuring
  share of total aid in the form of grants
  scholarships
• Derivation of retention variable fall 2003 to
  fall 2004 (Year 1 Year 2)

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Methodology

• Derivation of passing or failing Gateway Courses
  (from course data provided)
• Bivariate correlations between retention and
• Student demographics
• Student academic preparation
• Participation in Special Programs (Summer Bridge,
  First-Year Seminar)
• Passing Gateway Courses with C or better grade
• Proportion of Total Aid in the form of grants
  scholarships

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Methodology

• Logistic Regression Analyses
• Dependent Variable
• Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Retention
• Independent Variables
• Student demographics and academic preparation
• Participation in Special Programs, and success
  (and failure) in Gateway Classes
• Proportion of Total Aid in the form of grants
  scholarships

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Retention at IUPUI A Cohort View
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Typical aid packages forstudents who received
aid or borrowed
N 1,588
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Students with Financial Need gt Zero

• 15 of this group received aid that exceeded
  their calculated financial need
• Average unmet need was 5,318
• Looking only at students whose need was NOT met
  (N 823), average unmet need was 6,281
• Average unmet need was 32 of student expenses

N 980
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Initial Model - Results
N 2,088 68.5 predicted correctly
Nagelkerke R² .056
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Model with Math 001 - Results
N 2,088 70.4 predicted correctly
Nagelkerke R² .091
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Model with Psychology B104 - Results
N 2,088 72.2 predicted correctly
Nagelkerke R² .125
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Model with English W131 - Results
N 2,088 74.9 predicted correctly
Nagelkerke R² .219
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Logistic Regression Results - Full Cohort

• Factors that Matter
• First-Year Seminar
• Share of total financial aid in the form of gifts
  (grants and scholarships)
• Family income Less than 33,000
• Conditional Admission
• Passing or failing gateway classes, especially
  English W131, Math 001 and Psychology B104

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First-Year Seminar and Retention
p lt.01
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Financial Aid and Retention Full Cohort
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Retention of Students with Financial Need gt Zero
N 980
Statistically Significant
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Unmet Need and Student Retention
N 980
Statistically Significant
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Conclusion

• Two core practices at IUPUI - the First-Year
  Seminar and Financial Aid Policy - can together
  increase the retention rate of first-time,
  full-time students from year one to year two.

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Suggestions for IUPUI Financial Aid Policy

• Implement a 60/40 Rule at least 60 percent of
  the financial aid package for first-time,
  full-time students who qualify for need-based aid
  should be in the form of gift aid that does not
  have to be repaid.

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STUDENT RETENTION AT IUPUI Demographic
Background, Academic Preparation, Gateway Courses
and Financial Aid

• Contact derek_at_dvp-praxis.org