Leaving College

Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

Tinto Vincent

In this 1994 classic work on student retention, Vincent Tinto synthesizes far-ranging research on student attrition and on actions institutions can and should take to reduce it. The key to effective retention, Tinto demonstrates, is in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and social community on campus. He applies his theory of student departure to the experiences of minority, adult, and graduate students, and to the situation facing commuting institutions and two-year colleges. Especially critical to Tinto's model is the central importance of the classroom experience and the role of multiple college communities.

About the Author

Vincent Tinto, Distinguished Professor of Education at Syracuse University, is co-author of "Where Colleges Are and Who Attends: Effects of Accessibility on College Attendance" (1972).

Reviews

"This book appears to be the best compilation of ideas about understanding student departure from college written to date... Vincent Tinto has pulled together a lavish variety of facts, findings based on empirical studies, theories, and institutional savvy to provide readers with valuable information that should help concerned members of the academic community better understand student departure" – John P. Bean, Journal of Higher Education

"This book is an excellent summary of previous research, a soundly sociological volume, and a very practical guide for action. It is an excellent blend of theory, research, and policy implication. It is also incredibly well written; one could use the book to teach others how to write clearly" – Contemporary Sociology

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