UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ATTRITION - A COMPARISON OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS WHO WITHDRAW AND STUDENTS WHO PERSIST

A recent Commission of Inquiry on Canadian University Education reported that from the crude data available ''it would appear that 42% of full-time students who entered a university in 1985 failed to get a degree from that university within five years.'' One hundred sixty-three undergraduate students who were required to withdraw by their university, 109 undergraduates who had withdrawn by completing the necessary withdrawal forms, 226 undergraduates who withdrew from university by simply not returning as anticipated by the Registrar, and 153 students continuing undergraduate programs were interviewed regarding demographic, academic, financial, personal, and learning characteristics and experiences. A comparison of the characteristics of these groups is provided in this article.