THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND ACADEMIC FACTORS ON THE RETENTION OF FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY

This study was designed to examine variables that influence student retention, of first-time freshmen who returned or did not return to their sophomore year. The study consisted of 1,756 first-time freshmen, who were enrolled in a historically Black open-admissions university in the Southeast region of Texas. The results of this study indicated that a statistically significant difference occurred in students' first-semester GPA based on return, residency, and the interaction of return and residency. A statistically significant difference in ACT scores was found based on return, residency, and gender. Statistical significance was not found in high school GPA for any of the independent variables or the interaction of the variables.