Stopouts or Stayouts? Undergraduates Who Leave College in Their First Year

This report examines the educational experiences of students who leave college in their first year. It tracks the path of those who return (stopouts) to determine where and when they enrolled. The report also compares the background and school experience of stopouts with those who did not return (stayouts) to college. The analysis reveals that nearly 30 percent of 1989-90 beginning students left postsecondary education in their first year. Among stopouts in the 4- year sector, 42 percent returned to the same institution, and 58 percent transferred elsewhere. In the public 2- year sector, the opposite pattern occured: 57 percent returned to the same institution, and 43 percent transferred. A majority of stopouts transferred to the 2- year sector.

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