A correlational study of relationship management, integration, commitment, and student retention in U.S. for-profit universities

Student graduation rates have been the subject of growing attention among institutions of higher education. Under scrutiny, for-profit universities have been called upon to measure student retention as an accreditation requirement and a gauge of institutional effectiveness. According to Baum and Payea's (2011), Trends in For-Profit Postsecondary Education: Enrollment, Prices, Student Aid and Outcomes, published in the Trends for Higher Education Series, the graduation rates for a bachelor's degree range from 65% in private nonprofit universities and 55% public universities to 22% in private for-profit universities. Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to retain students throughout the academic life cycle and elevate graduation rates. The focus of this study was to understand the association between student relationships and loyalty in conjunction with established retention theoretical models. Understanding the factors that influence student retention through the study of relationship management factors, academic and social integration, goal commitment, and modality contributes to the knowledge base by integrating business and education theoretical models. This study identified new correlations between relationship management factors, as perceived by the student, and student retention. As more delivery of instruction for higher education moves to an online format, the negative correlation identified in the sample between modality of instruction and student retention is important for retention programs. While many for-profit universities do not offer many of the same integration opportunities of traditional universities, student perceptions from the survey conducted in this study identified those factors as important to retention.