High-Impact Practices: Evaluating Their Effect on College Completion

Abstract

Since the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) introduced high-impact practices (HIPs) in 2007, scholars have argued that students’ involvement in these programs is associated with a range of positive outcomes. Namely, participation in HIPs is thought to promote student retention and help close achievement gaps between historically marginalized populations and advantaged peers. However, few have used a longitudinal approach to determine if HIP participation is related to college completion while accounting for pre-college variables. This study used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) to analyze the impact of HIP participation on students’ likelihood of completing college within six years, controlling for socioeconomic status, high school math and reading scores, and high school involvement. Results suggested that students involved in HIPs were more likely to complete college within six years compared to uninvolved peers, but found no evidence of compensatory effects among students who were involved with HIPs.

Keywords

high-impact practices college completion student engagement student involvement student retention students of color first-generation college students

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