Students Who Enrolled in the
2011-2012 Academic Year
But Did Not Return in Fall 2012
July 2013
1
Top 5 Financial Reasons
Major Reasons
Tuition and fees not
49%
affordable
Minor Reasons
Did not earn enough
22% money in summer
18%
Could not find part
time job to help pay
for expenses
17%
Inadequate money
management skills
33%
Encountered
unexpected expenses
17%
My job interfered
with my school work
32%
Cost of living too high
in Honolulu
16%
My/parent/family
loans were too high
40%
Needed to earn
money
34%
Received inadequate
financial aid
2
Top 5 Support Services
Major Reasons
Inadequate
27% academic advising
26%
Inadequate parking
20%
Faculty unhelpful
20%
Staff unhelpful
15%
Dissatisfied with
housing
Minor Reasons
Classrooms in
23%
disrepair
23%
Inadequate career
development
18%
Inadequate tutoring
services
16%
Felt unsafe on
campus
16%
Limited cocurricular activities
3
Top 5 Personal Reasons
Major Reasons
Decided to transfer
25%
while at UHM
Minor Reasons
Needed a break from
17%
school
22%
Family circumstances
changed
16%
Inadequate
management of
school-play-work time
22%
Needed to relocate
15%
Felt too lonely
19%
Wanted to be closer
to home
14%
Commuting problems
12%
Always planned to
transfer elsewhere
13%
Uncertain of value of
college degree
4
Top 5 Academic Reasons
Major Reasons
20% Earned poor grades
Minor Reasons
Did not take enough
responsibility
19%
for my learning
18%
Dissatisfied with
quality of instruction
19%
Skipped too many
classes
14%
Too many required
courses
15%
Did not have
adequate study skills
13%
Desired major not
offered
14%
Did not think major
would lead to
adequate job
12%
Dissatisfied with
major
14%
Classes too
challenging
5
Sought advice about leaving from…
60
53.3
51.3
50
46.1
40
% 30
20
10
26.4
21
13.6
9.7
0.9
0
6
Month Students Made the Decision
to Not Reenroll
16
15.0
14.2
14
11.6
12
10
%
8.5
7.3
8
6
4
6.8
7.6
5.7
4.5
5.7
4.0
4.5
2
0
7
CLASS STANDING DIFFERENCES
8
Financial Reasons
(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)
Freshman
(n=136)
Sophomore
(n=192)
Junior
(n=203)
Senior
(n=106)
TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS
21.4%
30.1%
31.9%
16.6%
Could not find a part-time job while
attending school for expenses
1.6%
8.4%
-9.0%
-1.0%
Unsure how to apply for financial aid
6.7%
1.4%
-0.3%
-7.9%
My/ family values prohibited applying
for financial aid
3.6%
4.2%
-3.7%
-4.1%
Applied but didn’t receive financial aid
2.9%
-1.2%
4.6%
-6.4%
Lost scholarship or other financial aid
-0.5%
4.2%
2.5%
-6.2%
9
Support Services
(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)
Freshman
(n=136)
Sophomore
(n=192)
Junior
(n=203)
Senior
(n=106)
TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS
21.4%
30.1%
31.9%
16.6%
Inadequate child care support
-3.2%
-12.0%
-13.7%
28.8%
Institution too large
11.3%
6.8%
-10.1%
-7.9%
Classrooms in disrepair
0.9%
6.4%
-14.4%
7.2%
Dissatisfied with housing
7.2%
6.4%
-4.9%
-8.7%
Limited co-curricular activities
9.6%
0.8%
-12.8%
2.4%
10
Personal Reasons
(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)
Freshman
(n=136)
Sophomore
(n=192)
Junior
(n=203)
Senior
(n=106)
TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS
21.4%
30.1%
31.9%
16.6%
Felt racial/ ethnic tension
14.2%
9.9%
-14.1% -10.0%
Did not feel welcomed on campus
11.0%
8.1%
-11.3%
-7.8%
Felt too lonely
6.6%
7.9%
-4.9%
-9.6%
Decided while at UHM to transfer
to another college
8.0%
5.7%
-6.9%
-6.9%
Accepted a well paying job
-3.3%
-0.6%
-7.3%
11.2%
11
Academic Reasons
(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)
Freshman
(n=136)
Sophomore
(n=192)
Junior
(n=203)
Senior
(n=106)
TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS
21.4%
30.1%
31.9%
16.6%
Was unprepared for college level work
34.6%
-6.1%
-19.9%
-8.6%
Skipped too many classes
16.9%
-0.4%
-14.8%
-1.7%
Did not have adequate study skills
16.1%
0.5%
-12.5%
-4.1%
Took too many classes
10.7%
-15.0%
0.2%
4.1%
Did not feel like I could get a job with a
UHM degree
5.8%
8.4%
-10.4%
-3.8%
12
HAWAI`I VS. CONTINENTAL U.S.
13
Financial Reasons
Hawai`i Residents U.S. Continent Diff.
(n=412)
(n=202)
Cost of living too high in Honolulu
My job interfered with my school work
Needed to earn money
Unsure how to apply for financial aid
Inadequate money management skills
Lost scholarship or other financial aid
Encountered unexpected expenses
Could not earn enough money during
the summer
My/ family values prohibited applying
for financial aid
Sig
31.1
20.4
38.1
10.7
14.8
16.7
32.8
43.6
9.4
30.7
5.4
9.9
11.9
28.7
-12.5
11.0
7.4
5.3
4.9
4.8
4.1
***
***
***
***
**
**
*
27.7
23.8
3.9
*
6.3
2.5
3.8
***
Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001
14
Support Services
Hawai`i Residents U.S. Continent Diff.
(n=412)
(n=202)
Inadequate parking
Dissatisfied with housing
Inadequate career development
Institution too large
Inadequate tutoring services
Inadequate child care support
20.1
7.3
13.1
8.7
8.7
2.2
6.9
14.9
6.9
4
6.4
1
13.2
-7.6
6.2
4.7
2.3
1.2
Sig
***
***
***
***
*
*
Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001
15
Personal Reasons
Hawai`i Residents U.S. Continent Diff.
(n=412)
(n=202)
Wanted to be closer to home
Needed a break from school
Felt racial/ ethnic tension
Commuting problems
Accepted a full-time job
Accepted a well paying job
Felt too lonely
Uncertain of value of a college degree
Family circumstances changed
Did not feel welcomed on campus
Inadequate mgmt of school-play-work time
Relationship problems
Decided while at UHM to transfer
17.5
23.5
3.4
18.7
14.3
13.3
12.9
15.8
27.4
8.3
20.1
8.7
27.7
33.7
11.4
15.3
6.9
3.0
3.0
22.3
7.9
19.8
15.8
13.9
13.9
32.7
Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001
-16.2
12.1
-11.9
11.8
11.3
10.3
-9.4
7.9
7.6
-7.5
6.2
-5.2
-5.0
Sig
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
*
16
Academic Reasons
Hawai`i Residents U.S. Continent Diff.
(n=412)
(n=202)
Could not get into desired program
Too many required courses
Could not get into required classes
Earned poor grades
Not enough responsibility for learning
Took too many classes
Skipped too many classes
Accepted a job in major field or career
Classes not challenging enough
Classes too challenging
Weak English skills
16.5
20.1
15.8
22.6
19.2
10.2
16.7
7.0
9.5
10.9
2.9
6.4
12.4
8.4
16.3
13.4
5.4
11.9
2.5
13.9
8.4
1.5
10.1
7.7
7.4
6.3
5.8
4.8
4.8
4.5
-4.4
2.5
1.4
Sig
***
***
***
***
***
***
**
***
**
*
*
Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001
17
Actionable Financial Reasons (%)
MAJOR
MINOR
46.6
• Tuition and fees not affordable
30.3
33.0
• Received inadequate financial aid
22.1
18.9
• Applied but did not receive financial aid
12.7
14.2
• Lost scholarship or other financial aid
14.5
7.4
• Inadequate money management skills
17.6
6.0
• Unsure how to apply for financial aid
11.0
•
•
18
Actionable Support Services 1 (%)
MAJOR
MINOR
27.1
• Inadequate academic advising
32.5
26.1
• Inadequate parking
23.2
20.2
• Faculty unhelpful
30.5
19.7
• Staff unhelpful
14.8
• Dissatisfied with housing
16.3
11.3
• Inadequate career development
22.7
•
•
23.6
19
Actionable Support Services 2 (%)
MAJOR
MINOR
7.4
•Classrooms in disrepair
23.5
6.9
•Inadequate tutoring services
18.2
5.9
•Felt unsafe on campus
16.7
5.4
•Limited co-curricular activities 15.3
2.5
•Inadequate child care•support
•
•
3.0
20
Actionable Personal Reasons (%)
MAJOR
24.8 • Decided while at UHM to transfer
•
MINOR
20.0
9.9 • Inadequate mgmt. of school-play-work time
16.9
9.2 • Felt too lonely
15.0
7.2 • Uncertain about the value of a college degree 12.6
•
6.8 • Did not feel welcomed on campus
9.7
5.0 • Felt racial/ethnic tension
5.8
21
Actionable Academic Reasons (%)
MAJOR
MINOR
•
Dissatisfied
with
quality
of
instruction
16.9
22.1
•
•
Too
many
required
courses
13.5
16.8
•
Could
not
get
into
required
classes
10.7
12.4
•
Classes
not
challenging
enough
5.8
13.3
•
Classes
too
challenging
3.6
13.8
•
22
Employment
Avg. Income
Hawaii
%
Mainland
%
37.0
$91,267
112
47
104
44
n=63
9.8
$68,165
37
59
23
37
10 – 19
n=109
16.9
$64,963
78
72
27
25
20 – 29
n=120
18.6
$61,800
90
75
28
23
30 – 39
n=69
10.7
$56,621
53
77
15
22
40 +
TOTAL
n=45
n=644
7.0
100%
$51,253
41
91
4
9
$71,713
n=411
Hrs p/wk working
No.
%
Zero
n=238
1–9
40
Hours per week working
30
20
n=201
37
10
9.8
16.9
18.6
10 - 19
20 - 29
10.7
7
0
Zero
1-9
30 - 39
40 +
23
Students Surveyed
First-Time Freshmen and
Transfer Leavers
Class Standing
44%
Transfer
Senior
17%
Junior
32%
Freshman
Freshman
21%
Sophomore
30%
56%
2012
24
Representativeness of Sample
UHM
%
All Leavers
%
Respondents
%
Diff.
African American
1.5
2.5
1.2
-0.3
American Indian/Alaskan
Native
0.3
0.7
0.7
+0.4
Asian
42.4
29.9
26.9
-15.5
Caucasian
21.4
32.4
37.7
+16.3
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
17.5
18.3
14.5
-3.0
Hispanic
2.0
2.5
2.5
+0.5
Mixed Race (2 or more)
14.3
13.3
11.6
-2.7
Unknown
0.2
0.2
0.3
+0.1
25
Major Themes
UHM LEAVERS INTERVIEWS
26
Academic Advising - Summary
• Not personalized or individualized for the student
• Generic information that could be obtained manually through
other medium
• Unhelpful – “figure it out”
• Long lines to meet with advisor
• Didn’t help strategize which classes to take in which order
• Advising for undeclared students not helpful – not assigned
one advisor and not required to meet with the advisor
• Lack of communication and strategy can lead to extended
program length
• Advising meetings focuses on registration, rather than true
academic advising
27
Academic Advising - Quotes
• “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I wanted to explore different classes but paying
$22,000 a year without knowing what I wanted to do didn’t make sense so I wanted
to come back home and take community college courses.”
• “[The advisors] would give us a sheet and tell us what we needed to take, but didn’t
help us. They basically told us to figure it out.”
• “I felt like they had a bad system where I felt like people weren’t very welcoming. I
went and saw a counselor and he wasn’t very helpful. He assumed that I knew what I
was doing because I was a transfer student and I had done it before, but I had no
idea what was going on.”
• "I was very frustrated with the counseling." You can't sign up ahead of time for
counseling - you have to go and wait in a line at the start of the day (or specified
time)… there is not one advisor assigned to each student - rather he had to see a
different person almost every time.
• The advisors were not helpful. The information they provided was the same that she
could have accessed online or via other sources. The information they gave was
generic.
28
Quality of Instruction - Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Not rigorous
Lack of faculty support
Geared towards traditional-aged students
Courses not offered
Felt could get a better education from a community college
for lower cost
Large class sizes
Poor quality of classrooms
Inflexible online classes
Boring pedagogy (lecture-based)
Poor classroom management
Less than convenient faculty office hours
Lack of academic support
29
Quality of Instruction - Quotes
• “The classes were underdeveloped and not rigorous compared to the AP classes
that I took in high school. Compared to what I’m paying, the classes didn’t seem
worthwhile. The honors program, especially, was underdeveloped and
disappointing. The courses weren’t challenging and I didn’t learn enough.”
• “I left it because there were better opportunities in community college. Besides the
cost, it was also closer to my house.”
• “The biggest challenge was getting to and from classes, and there were so many
students in classes there weren’t enough seats. Not sure how that happened, it
makes taking a class hard when you’re sitting on the floor, especially when it’s
something difficult. I wish there were more courses and programs at West Oahu.”
• Courses were hit-or-miss -- a few were really great, but many of them had the flaws
described above (too impersonal, too big, too little engagement). Office hours could
have helped her grades, which were unsatisfactory.
• In an online course, the instructor didn't teach us anything -- just assigned reading.
No lectures to speak of. Required courses were just "going through the motions,"
not very rigorous. "You read the textbook and regurgitate the information." get
"credit for doing the bare minimum."
30
Administrative Processes - Summary
• Lack of follow-up from department when wanting to switch
majors
• Miscommunication leading to loss of financial aid
• Unstructured and unorganized
• Antiquated computer systems
• Bureaucratic
• Function of system labels students taking ‘leave of absence’ as
being leavers
• Lack of instructions and timelines for doing ‘business of being
a student’
• Financial aid, cashiers, and registrar’s offices all cited as
having unhelpful staff
31
Administrative Processes - Quotes
•
•
•
•
“The computer systems are ancient.”
“The red tape is crazy”
“The administrative system makes it impossible to get anything done”
“Reduce administrative red tape and improve communication to avoid student
financial crises“
• “In high school, it was easier to get things done. You know who to go to and where
to go. I’m not saying that [UHM] should treat us like high school students, but they
should have some sort of outline [to help students].”
• "So many times things look good on paper, but when somebody uses it, there's a
glitch. My thoughts are that when someone is on a leave of absence and if the
school hasn't heard from them, they should contact the student by letter, phone, or
email to ask what the students' intentions are and say that 'you have until x date to
reenroll.' I'm testing the waters on a lot of those things, but [the University] should
definitely make it less difficult to re-enroll."
• [UHM needs to] generally improve communications, bureaucratic efficiency, and
quality of instruction.
32
NSSE results from 2004-2010
EXAMINING ACADEMIC RIGOR
33
Worked on a paper or project that required
integrating ideas or information from various sources
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
UHM Senior
3.2
3.4
3.1
3.35
Peer Senior
3.3
3
3.25
2.9
3.2
2.8
2.7
2.6
3.15
UHM First
years reported
integrating
ideas the least
2.5
3.1
3.05
Seniors exhibit
mixed results in
the 6-year
window
3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often
have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often
34
Come to class without completing
readings or assignments
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
UHM Senior
2.35
2.4
2.3
2.35
2.25
2.3
2.2
2.25
2.15
2.2
2.1
2.15
2.05
2
UHM First years
are less likely than
their peers to be
prepared for class
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2.1
Peer Senior
UHM Seniors report
coming to class more
prepared in recent years
2.05
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often
have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often
35
Worked harder than you thought you could
to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
2.7
UHM Senior
Peer Senior
2.8
2.75
2.6
2.7
2.5
2.65
2.4
2.3
2.2
2.6
All first year
students
increasingly report
working harder
2.1
2.55
2.5
2.45
UHM Seniors report working the
hardest of the four groups presented
2.4
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often
have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often
36
Select the circle that best represents the extent
to which your examinations during the current school
year have challenged you to do your best work.
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
UHM Senior
5.7
5.5
5.6
5.45
5.5
5.4
5.4
5.35
5.3
5.3
5.2
5.25
5.1
5
UHM First
years are
challenged
the least
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
5.2
Peer Senior
UHM Seniors
are more
challenged
than their
peers
5.15
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
1=Very little to 7=Very much
37
Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing,
doing homework or lab work, analyzing data,
rehearsing, and other academic activities)
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
4.7
4.5
UHM Senior
Peer Senior
4.7
UHM First years
report the least
time preparing
for class
4.3
4.6
4.5
4.4
All seniors are
increasing their
class preparation
since 2007
4.3
4.1
4.2
3.9
4.1
4
3.7
3.9
3.5
3.8
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?
1=0 hrs/wk, 2=1-5 hrs/wk, 3=6-10 hrs/wk, 4=11-15 hrs/wk, 5=16-20 hrs/wk, 6=21-25 hrs/wk,
38
7=26-30 hrs/wk, 8=More than 30 hrs/wk
Spending significant amounts of
time studying and on academic work
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
UHM Senior
3.3
3.2
3.2
3.15
3.1
3.1
3
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
Peer Senior
3.05
3
2.95
2.9
UHM students report 2.85
a decreased emphasis 2.8
on studying at UHM
2.75
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following?
1=Very little, 2=Some, 3=Quite a bit, 4=Very much
39
Providing the support you need to
help you succeed academically
UHM First Year
Peer First Year
3.2
UHM Senior
Peer Senior
3
3.1
2.9
3
2.8
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.6
UHM students
report lower
levels of support
than their peers
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2.5
2.4
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following?
1=Very little, 2=Some, 3=Quite a bit, 4=Very much
40