Measuring Retention and Persistence: Using Data to Support Postsecondary Students

Student retention efforts are an essential connection between access and completing a degree, yet traditional metrics–such as first-year retention and graduation rates–don’t allow institutions to intervene early when issues arise. This paper offers a practical guide for measuring student retention and persistence at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including guidance on selecting meaningful success metrics and stories of implementation from four institutions.