Effects of radiography program admissions practices on student retention

Area of Science:

• Radiography Education
• Higher Education Admissions
• Student Retention Studies

Background:

• Radiography programs face challenges with student attrition.
• Understanding factors influencing radiography student retention is crucial for program success.
• Admissions practices may play a role in radiography program completion rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of admissions practices on radiography program retention rates.
• To determine if competitive admissions correlate with higher student retention in radiography programs.
• To identify specific components of competitive admissions that predict radiography student success.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 327 radiography programs, collecting data on admissions practices.
• Data included information on 6,443 radiography program matriculants, 5,191 graduates, and 1,252 withdrawals.
• Statistical analysis was performed to assess the relationship between admissions strategies and retention rates.

Main Results:

• Retention rates were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in radiography programs utilizing competitive admissions.
• The use of selective grade point average (GPA) criteria was a significant predictor of increased retention.
• Inclusion of reference letters in the admissions process also significantly predicted higher retention rates.

Conclusions:

• Competitive admissions processes are associated with improved student retention in radiography programs.
• Selective GPA and reference letters are key factors within competitive admissions that enhance radiography student success.
• Implementing competitive admissions strategies may be beneficial for radiography program outcomes.