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Who Stays and for How Long: Examining Attrition in Canadian Graduate Programs
Open accessAbstract
Attrition from Canadian graduate programs is a point of concern on a societal, institutional, and individual level. To improve retention in graduate school, a better understanding of what leads to withdrawal needs to be reached. This paper uses logistic regression and discrete-time survival analysis with time-varying covariates to analyze data from the Youth in Transition Survey. The pre-entry attributes identified in Tinto’s (1993) model of attrition are examined to help uncover who is most likely to withdraw from graduate school. A good academic background is shown to be the strongest predictor of entering graduate school. Upon entry, demographic and background characteristics, such as being married and having children, are associated with a reduced likelihood of completing. Policy recommendations at the department and institution level are provided as well as directions for future research.
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“Socialization, positive academic experiences, and mentors with similar lived experiences have been shown to support completion rates (DeClou, 2017; Devos et al., 2017; Gardner, 2009).”
From PhD Pathways in Canada: Sociodemographic and Disciplinary Influences That Impact Pathway, Duration, and Outcomes (2026) · cites this paper as DeClou, 2017
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Nelson, J., Walters, D., Jones, A., & Jacobs, S. (2026) · International Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.5430/ijhe.v15n1p34
Metadata
- Authors
- DeClou, L.
- Corresponding author
- DeClou, Lindsay
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Higher Education
- Published
- 2017-01-31
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 174-198
- ISSN
- 0316-1218 (ISSN-L)
- 2293-6602
- OpenAlex
- W2586773386
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2024: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 6.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Higher Education (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions
- Social Sciences › Education › Evasion and Academic Success Factors
- Keywords
- graduate student attrition, student retention
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