2025 Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and Completion - For four-year and two-year institutions

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

A 2025 higher-education report synthesizes data from 144 institutions to identify effective strategies that improve student success, retention, and completion. Drawing on responses from private four-year, public four-year, and two-year colleges, it summarizes what institutions implement most widely, including academic support, advising, coaching, and early alert approaches. It also details which programs target specific populations and outlines management practices that use assessment and measurable goals to reduce attrition and strengthen persistence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

About This Study

Source of data and methodology

Key Findings

Most widely used strategies and tactics

Most widely used programs and strategies for specific populations

Management practices for optimizing retention and completion

2025 Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and Completion For four-year and two-year institutions Introduction Every year, thousands and thousands of students enter college with dreams of transformation and achievement. Yet the path to graduation remains surprisingly complex. What truly works in helping students succeed? This report cuts through the noise to reveal the most effective strategies used across higher education. Drawing from extensive data across private four-year, public four-year, and two-year institutions, we have identified the precise tactics that are moving the needle on student success. You’ll discover why some institutions consistently outperform their peers in retention and completion. More importantly, you’ll learn exactly how they do it—from academic support systems that work to management practices that drive real results. This is a practical playbook for education leaders who want to make data-driven decisions about where to focus their limited resources. Whether you’re looking to improve first-year retention, boost graduation rates, or better serve specific student populations, you will find actionable insights backed by hard evidence. The landscape of higher education keeps shifting. Student needs are evolving. But the core mission remains: helping students reach their full potential. This report shows how today’s most successful institutions are making that happen. Perhaps most critically, this research arrives at a pivotal moment when the very definition of student success is being reimagined. Today’s students bring unprecedented diversity in their backgrounds, goals, and learning preferences. They’re digital natives who expect personalized experiences and immediate feedback. As you’ll see in the following pages, leading institutions are responding by building more sophisticated, flexible frameworks that embrace this complexity—while still delivering measurable results. Their experiences offer a roadmap for balancing individualized support with institutional accountability in an increasingly dynamic educational landscape. About This Study Source of data and methodology Data in this report reflect responses from 144 institutions (63 four-year privates, 43 four-year publics, and 38 two-year colleges) that collectively enroll approximately 851,298 undergraduate students (according to data reported to IPEDS) . Respondents participated in the RNL national electronic poll of “Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and Completion” between October 25 and December 1, 2024. The poll was emailed to student affairs, academic affairs, and retention officers at accredited, degree-granting institutions across the United States. To report the findings as accurately as possible, the rankings of effectiveness were based only on the relative effectiveness options that were given to respondents: “very effective,” “somewhat effective,”and “minimally effective,” rather than including the fourth response,“practice not used.” © 2025 RNL | 2025 Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and Completion Report 2 Key Findings Most widely used strategies and tactics for student success, retention, and completion FOUR-YEAR PRIVATE • Academic support • Giving students practical work experiences in their intended major • Student success coaching (internal) • Faculty advising, one-on-one • Providing each student with an academic plan/roadmap of courses FOUR-YEAR PUBLIC • Academic support • Advising by professional staff, one-on-one • Student success coaching (internal) • Providing support services specifically designed to address mental health • Giving students practical work experiences in their intended major TWO-YEAR • Academic support • Providing each student with an academic plan/roadmap of courses • Advising by professional staff, one-on-one • Providing support services specifically designed to address mental health • Congra

FAQs

What data sources and timeframe does the study use?

The study uses responses from 144 institutions, and participation came from the RNL national electronic poll between October 25 and December 1, 2024.

Which strategies are most widely used for student success, retention, and completion?

Across the three institution types, academic support is a top strategy, alongside advising and student success coaching; four-year institutions also commonly provide academic plans and practical work experiences.

How does the report evaluate effectiveness and rank practices?

Rankings rely on relative effectiveness options selected by respondents—"very effective," "somewhat effective," and "minimally effective"—excluding the response "practice not used."

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai