This dashboard displays the first to second year retention and persistence rates for six consecutive student cohorts who attended your institution as first-time or transfer-in students.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Retention and Persistence Dashboard.

How It Works

• Retention = How many students are still enrolled or have earned a degree from your institution before the end of their second academic year
• Persistence = How many students are still enrolled in their second academic year or have completed a credential at another institution

The dashboard first checks whether a student has attempted credits at your institution in their second year using the data submitted in your institution’s course data file. If you did not submit the student in your institution’s course data file during their second year, the dashboard then checks The Clearinghouse’s other enrollment and degree reporting services. If the student was submitted through another Clearinghouse service as having been enrolled at your institution during their second year, the dashboard will classify the student as retained. If another institution has submitted an enrollment record for the student, the dashboard will classify the student as persisted.

Since retention and persistence are measured over a student’s entire second year, a student could be retained in the first term of their second year and then persisted at another institution during their second term. In this case, the dashboard would classify the student as retained.

Dashboard Sections

Retention/Persistence by Dimension

This section displays your institution’s overall retention or persistence rate across cohorts disaggregated by dimension. You can select a cohort from the drop-down menu in the top-right and a dimension from the menu in the top left. The data is displayed in lines that show first-year retention and persistence from one cohort to the next.

Students Not Enrolled by Dimension

This section displays students who were not retained or persisted by dimension. The color and size of each bar represents the percentage of students who are not enrolled in their second year. A darker color and a larger size indicate a larger percentage of students who are not enrolled. Hover over a bar to view additional information about the percentage of students in each cohort as well as those of a particular demographic who are not enrolled.

Use Cases

Impact of Attendance on First-Time Student Retention and Persistence Rates

Watch the video below to learn how to use the Retention and Persistence dashboard to measure the impact of attendance on first-time student retention and persistence rates.

Understanding Retention Rates of High-Achieving Female First-Year Students

Watch the video below to learn how to use the Retention and Persistence dashboard to explore the retention rates of your institution’s female students, who are high-academic performers.