Recently, more students at UW–Green Bay have been choosing to transfer or drop out. It’s not just a few people. It’s starting to become noticeable. Some of the reasons they’re leaving are about money, some are about mental health, and others just don’t feel like they know where they’re going. These are big, personal reasons. And while universities often focus on how to keep students enrolling, it’s just as important to keep them in school as well. Universities have to understand why their students are leaving. If those questions are not asked, there is no way to support them in staying.
In a first-year seminar class, I noticed that several students had already made up their minds to transfer or were seriously thinking about it before the end of the semester. That felt surprising at first, but then I realized it probably wasn’t just this one class. The numbers back that up. UWGB’s retention rate for first-time, full-time students was 70.4% for the Fall 2022 group. That’s lower than the average for the UW system. And out of a recent group of students, 46% didn’t finish a degree within eight years. Many of them, almost 60%, ended up transferring somewhere else, and about 40% ended up dropping out.
Some of those students are going to technical colleges instead. Places like NWTC are seeing more students enroll. Part of that might be because it’s cheaper, but part of it is also because the career path is clearer. You don’t have to guess what you’re working toward. And for students who feel unsure or overwhelmed, that kind of structure can be a relief. A student who decided to transfer to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Amarah Johnston, was one of the students who made the choice to leave UWGB. She said this about why she decided to transfer: “Money was a very big factor for me. I was not able to afford to continue life at a 4-year college.”. She also noted that UWGB did not provide the program that she needed to get the job she wanted. Technical colleges can provide cheaper, faster, and better options than four-year colleges can.
There’s usually not one single reason someone leaves. It’s often a mix of things, such as mental health, feeling isolated, or being stressed about money. Preston McKinnes who dropped out of UWGB this year said “ I think what pushed me to make the decision was due to three things…. Struggling with grades… deadline for dropping classes without consequences… and my mental health was really suffering”. McKinnes decided to apply for a job and go into the work force he said “ the really cool thing about college is that I’s always there. You can always go back. Don’t sacrifice your mental health to get a degree for the sake of having a degree. Take some time, evaluate your passion, and pursue a future that fulfills you.”
This is not a story about giving up. It’s about someone finding something that fits better. It’s not that UWGB failed these students, but that their needs didn’t match what the school could offer at the time. And they made a choice to go where they could feel more in control and supported. UWGB keeps a fact book that has all kinds of information on data from the university. One of the most interesting is the retention rate, which shows the percentage of students who return to UWGB every academic year. Below is a graph showing the percentage of students who returned for their sophomore year of college.
Dr. Kathleen Burns, who is the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UWGB, offered up this data. Burns also said this “In Fall 23.. we had 736 students who didn’t return, and 529 we don’t know right so that is probably that they did not go somewhere else at least as of yet, 89 went to a technical college, 57 went to a different 4 year institution and 77 went to a different institution”. This means that there were 618 students who either dropped out or transferred to a technical school. There are some initiatives that the university has started to help students who are struggling. The university started an AI chatbot called Phlash. This bot will text students every one and check in on them. Burns said, “ We’re still trying to figure it out because it is within the first year, but other schools have found that people are more likely…. To answer to a chatbot”. More investment in this chatbot may be a way for students who are struggling to reach out.
People who work in programs like TRIO, advising, and other student success areas are already paying attention. They’re seeing this uncertainty in students and trying to help before it gets to the point where someone leaves. That might mean extra advising, checking in more often, or just making sure a student knows what resources are available. Tarren Talbot works with the TRIO and Pre-College programs at UWGB. Her main job is to counsel students looking into college through the Upward Bound program. Before this, though, she worked in a program called the Academic Success Institute at another university. Talbot said, “I think those are the biggest things, like, how do I afford this, and I’m like, if I can afford it, how do I feel like I belong and want to stay?”. Talbot mentioned that some students have a hard time finding a place where they belong, especially at UWGB, where there is not much of a social life. This can factor in why students are not staying because they feel there is no place for them at the university.
The University does have means to try and combat transfer and drop out. Pa Nhia Lor, who is an academic advisor for undeclared and computer science majors, has seen this firsthand. She said this about meeting with students, “I always talk about being proactive versus reactive, so taking control of your success,……… instead of waiting until week 9 to get help… you’re going to reach out to tutoring right now and get that set up”. When I student starts showing signs that they are starting to struggle, their advisors try to help them get any resources they can. It might not always work, but it can help to make sure students have all the resources they need before making a final decision.
One big solution that could help at UWGB is increasing student engagement and campus involvement. This was one of the factors that was mentioned by QuadC in their article on solutions to curb dropout rates. Tarran Talbot mentioned, “I think just in really impressing upon the student body, like engagement, making more opportunities for our commuter students to engage in campus and really feel like they’re part of the campus community”. The University of Wisconsin Green Bay has been referred to as a backpack campus by some students, meaning that a lot of students leave on the weekends. There could be an opportunity for the school to create a campus community where students stay and make bonds that will keep them here longer.
Students’ experiences and voices are going to shape how UWGB and other universities respond to these changes. And maybe that’s a good thing. The old idea that college has to look one way for everyone is already breaking down. Now, they have a chance to build something better, more flexible, more supportive, and more real for the people who need it.