Universities today can be a challenge to get through. A majority of students struggle with basic needs insecurity nationally. For those who need to pause their college journey, it’s really hard to get started again. It doesn’t matter if the pause is due to finances, a transfer, or any other range of reasons.
Higher education has a big incentive to make sure that people want to stay when they have the ability to. The overall retention rate rests at about 75% nationally, and there are countless factors that influence this rate. One that has seen a lot of neglect in particular is gateway courses. Gateway courses are the 100 and 200-level courses that make up the basis of general and major specific requirements.
Interestingly, completing math and english gateway courses in particular has been shown to increase retention rates. The average for someone who completes a gateway course moves from around 75% to 80-90%. However, for those who don’t complete these courses or fail them, the rate drops dramatically.
It’s vital to have a strong start for a college student to make their way to graduation. This is especially true when one considers the alternatives to gateway courses. Currently, college students who are deemed underprepared have to take non-credit remediation courses. These courses make it financially and socially challenging to continue one’s college career. Community college students in particular are often pushed into these courses.
Instead of these remedial courses, states like Kentucky are improving their gateway courses to keep students united. The process of hiring adequate staff, taking in student suggestions, and reducing barriers all make gateway courses highly manageable. Now these same students who were in remedial courses can more naturally progress in their career. It’s, of course, just one of many ways to increase retention, but it’s one that is increasingly seeing more attention.
https://airtable.com/shrBpJOsASefs1TTF?prefill_article_id=KY Student Success – Kentucky’s Student Success Story in the Making &prefill_target_url=inspiredn.com&prefill_author=Jack%20Krupa&prefill_writer=Jack%20Krupa&prefill_site_for_article=inspiredn.com&prefill_site=inspiredn.com&prefill_Article_duedate=March%2015,%202024&prefill_Client_art=KY%20Student%20Success&prefill_Your_article_here=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVXYi_tJlMy6I9iAP-oiSxECu6MGOmSFc7CRgdX04JQ/edit?usp=drivesdk&prefill_writer_id=recEL9xfkJvKPk3fY&prefill_writer_submit=&prefill_word_count=200&prefill_submit_date=2024-06-07T16:07:16.843Z&prefill_project_url=https://cpe.ky.gov/ourwork/value-infographic.html