Admissions policies and colleges’ retention rates

Alyson C. Ma, Florence Bouvet, Ryan Ratcliff, Jason Campbell and Steven Sumner

Education Economics, 2026, vol. 34, issue 2, 189-207

Abstract: Our study examines the relation between college admission criteria and college–student retention in the United States. We report two key findings related to admissions requirements using a dataset for the 2021–2022 academic year. First, there is little evidence that test–optional admissions policies had a significant effect on retention rates for this cohort. Second, Required/Recommended Letters of Recommendation and Secondary School Record are consistently associated with 1.3–3.3% higher retention rates. When combined with the appropriate institutional supports these results may assist HEIs maintain or increase retention rates in this new admission landscape.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2025.2487504

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