Successful University Student Retention Programs: Students' Experiences

Different researches examine factors associated to university students' desertion; however few researchers have examined student retention programs and the experiences of the students from within. In this result of qualitative research the aspects underneath the students' experiences and which mediate in the success of a retention program are analyzed. Nineteen undergraduate students participated in the study. They were selected because of their vulnerability and because they had participated in a retention program that benefited them. The results highlight the importance of assuming an integral perspective in retention programs so that students can resignify their image, get integrated with the institution and its agents and generate a higher sense of engagement and responsibility going beyond the boundaries of the university context.