College student retention continues to be a concern to colleges and universities. When students leave college prematurely, they can lose self-esteem and [Page 391]confidence in their abilities. They may not realize the real reasons for their departure and see it as a life failure. Students need to be able to complete programs that they are interested in pursuing. Students who are recruited and admitted to a college should have a reasonable expectation that programs and services will provide them with an opportunity for success.

With the publication in 1975 of his article “Dropouts from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of the Recent Literature” in A Review of Educational Research, Tinto enumerated a theoretical framework to explain student leaving behavior from higher education. No blame was apportioned ...