PERSIST: A Comprehensive Guide for Student Success in Higher Education

Are you concerned about the retention rates of your low-income or first-generation college-bound student population? Are you aware of your institutional retention rates or strategies to increase student persistence? PERSIST will help you take action!

"PERSIST" is a practical resource guide for higher education professionals, to increase the persistence rates of low-income, first-generation college-going students. PERSIST encourages community colleges and four-year universities alike to assess their retention rates, set new targets, and plan retention-focused programs. In addition, the guide provides materials to help students adjust to college life, focus on their goals, overcome financial barriers, and succeed in higher education and in life.

Currently, only 38 percent of first-time postsecondary students at two-year institutions, and 65 percent of those at four-year institutions, graduate within six years¹, and low-income students are less than half as likely to ever earn a bachelor degree as higher-income students².

ECMC Foundation sponsors full-day training sessions on its "PERSIST" curriculum throughout the country for gatherings with at least 100 education professionals. These training sessions are at no cost to the host institution. To inquire about a training, please contact Vicki Whebbe at vwhebbe@ecmc.org or 651.325.4067.

Get PERSIST

The "PERSIST" toolkit is available at no cost in three formats:

Online
Register and download "PERSIST" now by following this link. Registration is required to make you aware of updates and let us know who is using the curriculum and how it is being used. Your information is secure. We neither use nor forward registration information to third parties.
CD
Convenient for offline use
Binder
Due to cost, there is limited distribution. Binders are available to schools, one per school.

If you wish to receive "PERSIST" in CD format or binder, would like to comment on the program, or have questions, please send an e-mail to info@ecmcfoundation.org and include your name, school affiliation, title, address, phone number, e-mail address, and CD or binder preference.

¹U.S. Department of Education's 2005 Digest of Education Statistics
²Tinto, Vincent (2004). Student Retention and Graduation. Facing the Truth, Living with the Consequences. The Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education, Washington D.C.