[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

The nexus between college choice and persistence

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Initial student commitments have long been considered an influence on persistence, but the reasons why students choose to attend a college have seldom been considered as dimensions of initial commitments that could influence persistence processes and outcomes. This study used NPSAS-87 to examine the influence of finance-related reasons for choosing a college on persistence decisions. The findings include (1) finance-related choices have direct and indirect influences on whether students persist in college; and (2) market-based, monetary measures of financial aid, tuition costs, housing costs, and other living costs have a substantial direct effect on persistence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldrich, J. H., and Nelson, F. D. (1984).Linear Probability, Logit and Probit Models. Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. L., and Eckland, B. K. (1974). Sex differences in the educational attainment process.American Sociological Review 39(5): 668–682.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. L., and Eckland, B. K. (1975). Basic attainment processes: A replication and extension.Sociology of Education, 48(Fall): 457–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. L., and Eckland, B. K. (1977). High school context and college selectivity: Institutional constraints in educational stratification.Social Forces 56(1): 166–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrieu, S. C. (1991).The influence of background, graduate experience, aspirations, expected earnings, and financial commitment on within-year persistence of students enrolled in graduate programs. Doctoral dissertation, University of New Orleans.

  • Andrieu, S. C., and St. John, E. P. (1993). The influence of prices on graduate student persistence.Research in Higher Education 34(4): 399–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Associated Press (1993, December 27). Big decline in enrollment at community colleges.San Francisco Chronicle, p. A4.

  • Astin, A. (1975).Preventing Students from Dropping Out. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis of a causal model of student attrition.Research in Higher Education 12(2): 155–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1982). Conceptual models of student attrition: How theory can help the institutional researcher. In E. Pascarella (ed.),Studying Student Attrition (pp. 17–33). New Directions for Institutional Research No. 36. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1985). Interaction effects based on class level in an explanatory model of college student dropout syndrome.American Educational Research Journal 22(1): 35–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1990a). Using retention research in enrollment management. In D. Hossler and J. P. Bean and Associates (eds.),The Strategic Management of Enrollment (pp. 170–185). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P. (1990b). Why students leave college: Insights from research. In D. Hossler, J. P. Bean, and Associates (eds.),The Strategic Management of Enrollment (pp. 147–169). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bean, J. P., and Metzner, B. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional student attrition.Review of Educational Research 55(4): 485–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1964).Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1975).Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education, 2nd ed. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, W. E. (1990). The demand for higher education. In S. A. Hoenack and E. L. Collins (eds.),The Economics of American Universities: Management, Operations, and Fiscal Environment (pp. 155–188). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, J. (1977). The effect of public policies on the demand for higher education.Journal of Human Resources 5(4): 286–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P., and Duncan, O. (1967).The American Occupational Structure. New York: Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braxton, J. M. (1990). How students choose colleges. In D. Hossler, J. P. Bean, and Associates (eds.),The Strategic Management of Enrollment (pp. 57–67). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, A. F., Castaneda, M. B., Nora, A., and Hengstler, D. (1992). The convergence between two theories of college persistence.Journal of Higher Education 63(2): 143–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., and Castaneda, M. B. (1992). The role of finances in the persistence process: A structural model.Research in Higher Education 33(5): 571–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, A. F., Stampen, J. O., and Hansen, W. L. (1990). Exploring the effects of ability to pay on persistence in college.Review of Higher Education 13(3): 303–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, C. D. (1987).Student Financial Assistance and Consequences. Presented at the 147th annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, San Francisco.

  • Chapman, R. (1979). Pricing policy and the college selection process.Research in Higher Education 10(1): 37–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, R., and Jackson, R. (1987).College Choices of Academically Able Students. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, C. R., and Hossler, D. (1990). Marketing in nonprofit organizations. In D. Hossler and J. P. Bean (eds.),Strategic Management of Enrollment (pp. 68–85). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohn, R., and Geske, T. G. (1990).The Economics of Education. New York: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dresch, S. P. (1975). A critique of planning models for postsecondary education: Current feasibility, potential relevance, and a prospectus for future research.Journal of Higher Education 46(3): 246–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenberg, R. G., and Sherman, D. R. (1984). Optimal financial aid policies for a selective university.Journal of Human Resources 19(2): 202–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fine, P. L. (1993). The influence of college choice variables on within-year persistence by traditional college-aged students in private four-year colleges. Unpublished predissertation research, University of New Orleans.

  • Hauser, R. M., Sewell, W., and Alwin, D. R. (1976). High school effects on achievement. In W. H. Sewell, R. M. Hauser, and D. L. Featherman (eds.),Schooling and Achievement in American Society (pp. 309–341). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, J. C. (1984). The relative roles of academic, ascribed, and socioeconomic characteristics in college destinations.Sociology of Education 57(January): 22–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hearn, J. C. (1993). The paradox of growth in federal student aid for college students: 1965–1990. In J. C. Smart (ed.),Higher Education Handbook of Theory and Research (pp. 94–153). New York: Agathon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, D. W., and Lemeshow, G. S. (1989).Applied Logistic Regression. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hossler, D. (1984).Enrollment Management: An Integrated Approach. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hossler, D., Bean, J. P., and Associates (1990).The Strategic Management of College Enrollments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hossler, D., Braxton, J. M., and Coopersmith, G. (1989). Understanding student college choices. In J. C. Smart (ed.),Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Resources, vol. 5, pp. 231–288. New York: Agathon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hossler, D., and Gallagher, K. S. (1987). Studying student college choice: A three-phase model and the implications for policy-makers.College and University 57(3): 207–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, G. A. (1978). Financial aid and student enrollment.Journal of Higher Education 49(6): 548–574.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, G. A. (1982). Public efficiency and private choice in higher education.Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 4(2): 237–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, G. A., and Weathersby, G. B. (1975). Individual demand for higher education.Journal of Higher Education 46(6): 623–652.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaltenbaugh, L. P. (1993). The influence of price and price subsidies on the within-year persistence by African-American students. Doctoral dissertation, University of New Orleans.

  • Kohn, M. G., Manski, C. F., and Mundel, D. S. (1976). An empirical investigation of factors which influence college-going behavior.Annals of Economic and Social Measurement 5(4): 391–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korb, R., Schantz, N., and Zimbler, L. (1989).National Center for Education Statistics Student Financing of Graduate and Professional Education—A Report of the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

  • Kramer, M. (1993). Changing roles in higher education finance. In J. P. Merisotis (ed.),Background Papers and Reports (pp. 1–50). Washington, DC: National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, L. L., and Brinkman, P. T. (1988).The Economic Value of Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, L. L., Johnson, G. P., and Carlson, J. (1977). The impact of need-based student aid upon the college attendance decision.Journal of Education Finance 2(Winter): 269–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, G. (1989). Trends in student aid, 1962–63 to 1988–89.Research in Higher Education 30(6): 547–562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Litten, L. H., and Brodigan, D. L. (1982). On being heard in a noisy world: Matching media and messages in college marketing.College and University 57(3): 242–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyn, D. S. (1993). The impact of living in university residential housing on within-year persistence by undergraduate students attending postsecondary institutions. Master's thesis, University of New Orleans.

  • Manski, C. F., and Wise, D. A. (1983).College Choice in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McPherson, M. S., and Schapiro, M. O. (1991).Keeping College Affordable: Government and Educational Opportunity. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board (1994, August 18).The Design for Shared Responsibility, Staff Background Paper Number 3. St. Paul, MN: MHCB.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, R. L., Studenmund, A. H., and Slobko, T. (1991).Economics of Education Review 10(4): 311–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, P. E. (1981). Consumer buying roles in college choice: Parents' and students' perceptions.College and University 57(Winter): 150–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Education Statistics (1993). A note from the chief statistician. Unpublished document. Washington, DC.

  • Parker, J., and Summers, J. (1993). Tuition and enrollment yield at selective liberal arts colleges.Economics of Education Review 12(4): 311–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., Smart, J. C., and Smylie, M. A. (1992). College tuition costs and early career socioeconomic achievement: Do you get what you pay for?Higher Education 24: 275–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., and Terenzini, P. T. (1980). Predicting freshman persistence and voluntary dropout decisions from a theoretical model.Journal of Higher Education 51(1): 60–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascarella, E. T., and Terenzini, P. T. (1991).How Colleges Affect Students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulsen, M. B. (1990).College Choice: Understanding Student Enrollment Behavior. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 6. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, S. S., and Fetters, W. B. (1978). Variables involved in withdrawal during the first two years of college: Preliminary findings from the National Longitudinal Study of the high school class of 1972.American Educational Research Journal, 15(3): 361–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, T. (1984). A comment on presenting results from logit and probit models.American Sociological Review 50(1): 130–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, O. F. (1990). Persistence in four-year colleges: Are there differences in public and independent institutions? Presented at the Seventh Annual Conference of the NASSGP/NCHELP Research Network, Washington, DC.

  • St. John, E. P. (1989). The influence of student aid on persistence.Journal of Student Financial Aid 19(3): 52–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P. (1990a). Price response in enrollment decisions: An analysis of the high school and beyond sophomore cohort.Research in Higher Education 31(2): 161–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P. (1990b). Price response in persistence decisions: An analysis of the high school and beyond senior cohort.Research in Higher Education 31(4): 387–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P. (1991). What really influences minority student attendance? An analysis of the high school and beyond sophomore cohort.Research in Higher Education 32(2): 141–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P. (1992). Workable models for institutional research on the impact of student financial aid.Journal of Student Financial Aid 22(3): 13–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P. (1994). Assessing tuition and student aid strategies: Using price-response measures to simulate pricing alternatives.Research in Higher Education 35(3): 301–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., Andrieu, S. C., Oescher, J., and Starkey, J.B. (1994). Impact of student aid on within-year persistence by traditional college-age undergraduates in four-year colleges.Research in Higher Education 35(4): 455–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., Kirshstein, R. J., and Noell, J. (1991). The effects of student financial aid on persistence: A sequential analysis of the high school and beyond senior cohort.Review of Higher Education 14(3): 383–486.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., and Noell, J. (1989). The effects of student financial aid on access to higher education: An analysis of progress with special consideration of minority enrollment.Research in Higher Education 30(6): 563–581.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., Oescher, J., and Andrieu, S. (1992). The influence of prices on within-year persistence by traditional college-age students in four-year colleges.Journal of Student Financial Aid 22(1): 27–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., and Starkey, J. B. (1994). The influence of costs and cost subsidies on within-year persistence by community college students.Community College Quarterly of Research and Practice 18(2): 201–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. John, E. P., and Starkey, J. B. (1995). An alternative to net price: Assessing the effects of prices on within-year persistence.Journal of Higher Education 66: 156–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, T. W. (1963).The Economic Value of Education. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, J. B. (1986). Wealth neutrality vs. higher education: The effects of student grants.Economics of Education Review 5(2): 107–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seneca, J. J., and Taussig, M. K. (1987). The effects of tuition and financial aid on the enrollment decision at a state university.Research in Higher Education 26(4): 337–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., and Hauser, R. M. (1976). Causes and consequences of higher education: Models of the status attainment process. In W. H. Sewell, R. M. Hauser, and D. L. Featherman (eds.),Schooling and Achievement in American Society (pp. 9–27). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., and Shah, V. P. (1967). Socioeconomic status, intelligence, and the attainment of higher education.Sociology of Education 40(1): 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H., and Shah, V. P. (1968). Social class, parental encouragement, and educational aspirations.American Journal of Sociology, 73(5): 559–572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somers, P. (1992). A dynamic analysis of student matriculation decisions in an urban public university. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of New Orleans.

  • Stage, F. K., and Hossler, D. (1989). Differences in family influences on college attendance plans for male and female ninth graders.Research in Higher Education 30(3): 301–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stampen, J. O., and Cabrera, A. F. (1986). Exploring the effects of student aid on attrition.Journal of Student Financial Aid 16(2): 28–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Starkey, J. B. (1994). The influence of prices and price subsidies on the within-year persistence by part-time undergraduate students: A sequential analysis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of New Orleans.

  • State Higher Education Executive Officers Committee on College Costs (1988).Report on the Costs of Colleges to Students. Denver, CO: SHEEO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terkla, D. C. (1985). Does financial aid enhance undergraduate persistence?Journal of Student Financial Aid 15(3): 11–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thurow, L. C. (1970).Investment in Human Capital. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, M. L. (1982). The impact of institutional net price on student demand for public and private higher education.Economics of Education Review 2(4): 363–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research.Review of Educational Research 45(1): 89–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1987).Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tynes, S. F. (1993). The relationship of social, economic, academic and institutional characteristics to persistence by nontraditional-age students: Implications for counselors. Unpublished dissertation, University of New Orleans.

  • Villella, E. F., and Hu, M. (1990). College choice as a linking variable between recruitment and retention.Journal of Marketing for Higher Education 3(1): 79–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voorhees, R. A. (1985). Financial aid and persistence: Do the federal campus-based aid programs make a difference?Journal of Student Financial Aid 15(1): 21–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfle, L. M. (1985). Postsecondary educational attainment among whites and blacks.American Educational Research Journal 22(4): 501–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zemsky, R., and Oedel, P. (1983).The Structure of College Choice. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Leadership and Foundations, School of Education, University of New Orleans, 70148, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Michael B. Paulsen

Authors
  1. Edward P. St. John
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael B. Paulsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Johnny B. Starkey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

St. John, E.P., Paulsen, M.B. & Starkey, J.B. The nexus between college choice and persistence. Res High Educ 37, 175–220 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730115

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730115

Keywords

Search

Navigation