Understanding Retention Outcomes: Using Multiple Data Sources to Distinguish between Dropouts, Stopouts, and Transfer-Outs

Both assessment practitioners and administrators often view retention as a stay versus go outcome, but first-year outcomes are much more complex, as some students decide to stay, others to transfer, some simply take some time off, and others decide to discontinue their education altogether. This article discusses empirical problems in confining retention studies to stay-versus-go outcomes, and reviews data resources such as exit surveys, transcript requests, withdrawn student surveys, state transfer student databases, and the National Student Clearinghouse's Enrollment Search program that can all be used to gain a richer understanding of first-year outcomes.

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