What is it about?
In this study, I examine whether changes in the diversity of students at a college is related to their retention and graduation rates. The unique features of this study are that I used a relatively new formula for measuring diversity, and I considered several different dimensions of diversity (by race, gender, academic aptitude, and major). I found that as colleges enrolled more racially diverse students, their retention rates and six-year graduation rates fell. Likewise, as colleges enrolled more academically diverse students, their retention and graduation rates also fell.
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Why is it important?
The study is important for several reasons. First, it argues that the concept of student diversity should be broadened beyond race. Second, it presents a different approach to measuring student diversity. And finally, the results suggest that colleges need to do more than enroll more diverse students if the goal is to help them graduate more students.
Perspectives
I think that this article helps contribute to the broader discussion in academia about whether there are benefits from increasing student diversity, and if so who benefits from it. Most prior work focused on non-academic benefits, and it is important to also consider whether there are academic benefits for all students from increasing diversity.
Robert Toutkoushian
University of Georgia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Student compositional diversity and college retention and graduation rates., Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, May 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dhe0000491.
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