The Freshman Year Experience: Student Retention and Student Success

This ex post facto controlled investigation was conducted from 1993 to 1996 at a medium sized, regional, predominantly White, public, four-year university in the Midwest to determine the relationship between participation in the institution's freshman year experience course and student retention and success. Students who participated in the course were found to continue their enrollment to the fall term of their second year at a higher rate, complete more of the first academic year, earn higher cumulative grade point averages, and have higher ratios of earned credit hours in relation to the number of credit hours attempted.