College Success Requires Attention to the Whole Student

Abstract

Annually, nearly 20% of first-time, degree-seeking college students do not return after the first year. There are a variety of factors that impact a student’s ability to remain in college, including social and emotional factors, as well as institutional, structural and financial barriers. Due to the economic and employment advantage of a college degree, it is important to offer a variety of supports for students, in order to facilitate student persistence and college degree completion. This study examined the theoretical assumption that college student persistence and degree completion is influenced by individual wellness practices across a number of life domains: physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. Undergraduate college students (n=266) completed an online survey in May, 2021 to examine the relationship between these five life domains and student persistence in college. Results indicate that four of the five life domains are predictive of student persistence in college. Spiritual wellness was not directly predictive of student persistence, but was significantly associated with social and academic factors that do influence student persistence. Recommendations for the higher education system are suggested for improvement of student persistence and degree completion.