African-American-Student Retention Involves Unique Challenges

African-American college students face a variety of unique challenges that too often make it difficult for them to complete their studies and receive their degrees.

Higher-education-retention experts point to a number of factors — from unmet expectations to strained finances — that African-American students often must confront in college. These challenges also have implications for default prevention, because students who do not complete their postsecondary education are at greater risk of defaulting on their education loans.

Expectations versus reality
A three-year study revealed that African-American students have the largest discrepancy between what they expect from an institution and their actual satisfaction level at four-year public, four-year private and community colleges. A survey conducted by Noel-Levitz at nearly 800 institutions across the country indicated that African-American-student satisfaction levels are significantly lower that those of their Caucasian counterparts.

Noel-Levitz, the nation's leading consultant to higher education on student retention, used its Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) to determine the student expectations and satisfaction levels.

Julie Bryant, Noel-Levitz senior director of retention products, reports that demographic variables play a role in this discrepancy between student expectations and reality. For instance, a lower percentage of African-American students attend the college of their first choice in comparison with Caucasian students. According to the SSI, 49 percent of African-American students at four-year private colleges were attending their first-choice schools versus 70 percent of Caucasians. At four-year public institutions, 42 percent of African Americans were at their first-choice schools, compared with 69 percent of Caucasians.

"This has a strong impact on students' commitment level to the institutions and their inherent ability to be satisfied. In other words, they're dissatisfied from the beginning because they're not where they want to be," said Bryant.

African-American students indicated higher levels of expectation regarding financial-aid-related services, including the amount of aid available, the timing of financial-aid awards and the helpfulness of financial-aid counselors. They also expect more in relation to student support, tutoring and accessibility to computer labs.

"We've known for decades that student persistence is associated with the fit of expectations with what is found on campus," said Charles Schroeder, senior executive at Noel-Levitz. "If students' expectations are realistic and similar to what they receive, they are more prone to success. If there's a big gap, this leads to frustration and disappointment."

Financial challenges
Schroeder also pointed out that, in the last five years, strained state budgets have led to higher institutional fees and reduced financial access for low-income students. A focus on merit-based aid, instead of need-based assistance, also has placed a burden on financially needy students. The result: a greater dependence on student loans — leading to greater debt — among low-income students. Since African Americans as a group have greater need, these factors have a more significant, negative impact on access to higher education and on persistence for that group.

While a low-income student has an increased dependence on student loans, African-American students are more reticent about borrowing for college than are their Caucasian counterparts. To cover costs, African-American students turn to off-campus employment 10 percent more frequently, and they are more likely to be employed full time while attending school. This full load off campus means less time spent on campus — and fewer opportunities to feel connected to their schools. Research has shown higher retention rates among students who work on campus, because the students have more opportunities to build supportive relationships with campus faculty and staff.

Issues more pronounced for upperclassmen
Data from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE) indicate that African-American students are dropping out of postsecondary school in greater numbers during their junior and senior years. The overall graduation rate for African Americans after six years is 38 percent, compared with 56 percent for Caucasian students. During the freshman and sophomore years of college, however, the discrepancy in retention figures between the two groups is only 4 percent.

"Many institutions are focusing comprehensive programs in the first year to support student success," Schroeder said. "When students move into their major, that support system often is not there, particularly at large universities."

One school that is addressing this problem is the University of Missouri-Columbia, where efforts are leading to a substantial increase in retention. The university's strategy involves learning communities, where groups of students are enrolled together in general-education courses and are assigned to the same housing unit. Peer assistants coordinate activities such as group study meetings. The goal is to give students a greater sense of belonging and to ease their involvement in the academic and social systems of the institution.

"The more quickly this occurs, the more likely the students are to succeed. It's that process that moves them from the margin to the core. When they feel needed and like they belong, they generally do better," Schroeder said.

The University of Missouri-Columbia has seen an increase of between 6 percent and 8 percent in retention in general from students' freshman to sophomore years, and a 10-percent increase for African-American students in specific.

Other schools use a "book-end approach," in which students receive equal attention in their freshman and senior years.

USA Funds addresses retention
Because of the link between student retention and education-loan default prevention, USA Funds^® is working with Noel-Levitz on a comprehensive retention initiative designed to help postsecondary institutions boost persistence and graduation rates. The project aims to identify immediate opportunities for improvement in student-success rates, which ultimately will benefit institutions' default rates.

To learn more about how your institution can address student-retention rates, visit "Solving the Retention Puzzle: Best Practices in Student Retention" on the USA Funds Web site.