Generally, student attrition at a university is defined by the number of students who do not complete a degree in that institution. It has become one of the most challenging problems for decision makers in academic institutions. In spite of all of the programs and services to help retain students, according to the U.S. Department of Education, Center for Educational Statistics (nces.ed.gov), only about half of those who enter higher education actually graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Enrollment management and the retention of students has become a top priority for administrators of colleges and universities in the United States and other developed countries around the world. High rates of student attrition usually result in loss of financial resources, lower graduation rates, and inferior perception of the school in the eyes of all stakeholders. The legislators and policymakers who oversee higher education and allocate funds, the parents who pay for their children’s education in order to prepare them for a better future, and the students who make college choices look for evidence of institutional quality (such as low attrition rate) and reputation to guide their college selection decisions.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is attrition one of the most important issues in higher education?

2. How can predictive analytics (ANN, SVM, and so forth) be used to better manage student retention?

3. What are the main challenges and potential solutions to the use of analytics in retention management?