Why Retention Data Matters

Retention is one of the strongest indicators of student success. When students return for their second year, it shows they are finding connection, support, and value in their UNT experience. Tracking retention rates also provides faculty, staff, and administrators with a measurable metric for assessing and improving student success initiatives at the college and university levels.

By identifying patterns and trends — whether it’s first-year students adapting to campus life or transfer students navigating a new environment — we can make targeted improvements that have real impact.

Dashboard Overview

This dashboard highlights fall-to-fall retention rates for first-time-in-college (FTIC) and undergraduate transfer students across all colleges, allowing comparisons between UNT overall and specific academic units. Although current rates show room for improvement, they underscore why continued investment in advising, student engagement, and the first-year experience is critical to creating a strong foundation for student success.

Our goal for retention

Increase UNT’s overall 1st to 2nd year retention rate from 77% to 90% by 2030

Why do students stop out?

In higher education, a stop-out is defined as a student who withdraws from enrollment in a college or university with the intent of returning to complete their degree.

According to a 2024 study from student loan provider Sallie Mae, “How America Completes College,” conducted by Ipsos, a quarter of current college students are at risk of stopping out. Thirty percent of respondents reported that they’d considered not returning to school due to financial challenges. Motivation and life changes were close behind at 24%, followed by mental health challenges at 18%.

How does UNT support student success?

In Fall 2024, a committee of UNT faculty and staff engaged stakeholders across the university in a survey to assess UNT’s current student success landscape.

More than 1,400 survey responses were received from respondents, including undergraduate students (37%), graduate students (13%), faculty (19%), and staff (27%).

The survey data, along with other information, was used by the project team to identify what student success means at UNT, what UNT is doing well, and what needs to be improved.

UNT has a welcoming community that fosters a strong sense of belonging.
UNT has a dedicated faculty and staff who are passionate about teaching, supporting students, and care about their students' success.
UNT provides a wide range of resources and services to support students academically, personally and professionally.
UNT offers a variety of academic programs and opportunities for students to get involved.

What strategies can UNT employ to increase retention?

According to a 2022 THECB study, more than 40% of students entering postsecondary institutions in Texas were underprepared to engage in college-level coursework. But academic success is only one part of the picture.

UNT is actively addressing this through targeted, data-informed initiatives designed to improve student success from first contact through early career. These initiatives include innovative, evidence-based approaches to academic and career advising, curriculum and pedagogy, advanced data analytics, digital learning technologies, and college-to-career transitions that show students the full value of their UNT degrees in our economy and workforce.

Other strategies that will be in the strategic plan:

Strengthening the first- and second-year student experience to boost meaningful academic and co-curricular engagement
Deploy advanced, data-driven systems and services to deliver timely, personalized support, seamlessly connecting admissions, enrollment, advising, financial aid, and academic and other services
Pilot new advising models that integrate academic and career supports for students to connect the dots between their studies and career goals

Methodology Notes

Fall-to-Fall Retention Rate: Percentage of first-time, degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled in at least 12 semester credit hours (SCH) in the fall semester who are still enrolled at UNT in the following academic fall semester.
The students who graduated from the University within one year are included in the fall-to-fall retention rate, too.
The cohort includes students who enrolled in the prior summer term and continued enrolling in the fall term.
In this tab, the TAMS (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science) students are included in the calculation of the fall-to-fall retention rate.
The TAMS is a two-year residential early entrance college program serving approximately 375 high school juniors and seniors at the University of North Texas.
Students are admitted from every region of the state through a selective admissions process.