Unveiling Barriers to Timely Graduation and Strategies for Enhancing College Student Academic Completion

Abstract

This chapter investigates the factors that impede students from graduating college within the expected four-year timeframe and presents strategies to improve student academic completion and retention. Employing Appreciative Inquiry, the research explores current perspectives on the topic, focusing on higher education in the USA. The findings highlight the challenges individuals and institutions face and underscore the importance of implementing a support system to facilitate timely graduation. Effective resolution of the primary barriers to on-time graduation necessitates comprehensive engagement across the entire campus and strong collaboration among different institutional functions. Specifically, higher education institutions should prioritize providing sufficient academic, social, and cultural support to cater to the unique needs of international, minority, low-income, and first-generation college students. This study sheds light on students' main graduation barriers, comparing those of domestic and international students to better serve their individual needs in higher education.