Retention rates are a statistic that colleges or universities look at, in hopes of finding ways to increase and improve them. The retention rate of a college is the percentage of new incoming freshman students who decide to come back the next year.

This is very important information for any school. Although many students stop attending college every year due to financial, academic or personal reasons, here at Weber State University, the retention rate is gradually improving.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Madonne Miner said, “According to the Report Gallery, our 1st-Time Student retention was up 0.9% from fall 2017 to fall 2018. Also, from Fall 2014 to Fall 2018, the overall retention figure moved from 53.7 to 55.2%. We will continue to work harder to increase these numbers.”

This information is great news for the university, as it shows that more students are deciding to come back and continue their pursuit towards a degree without taking significant time off from school.

“We know that students who complete degrees are more likely to move into successful careers, contribute to their communities, earn more, and, in general, have better futures than those who do not complete,” Miner said.

According to the American Institutes for research, studies have shown that students who stop attending college after they have already started have a hard time returning to school. Weber State has taken some new steps to help students continue attending college.

Miner said, “These actions include hiring eight new retention advisors, making orientation mandatory for new students, implementing Starfish to provide early alerts from faculty members to students who may be struggling in classes, and bringing at least three speakers to campus each year to talk with faculty and staff about student success initiatives.

For students who may be thinking about taking some time off due to financial or academic reasons, first they should be sure to talk with their academic advisers and the financial coaches available here at Weber State.

These advisors and counselors may be able to help come up with a plan that includes staying in school and not taking time off which can prove to be very beneficial to the student.

For students interested, financial coaches are also available at the Money Management Center located in the Shepherd Union Building. They are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.