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Abstract
This article describes results of annual short‐term and long‐term follow‐up studies of nonreturning community college students. Such students usually make up a significant proportion of community college enrollees and, with the trend toward lifetime education, are beginning to constitute a larger proportion of enrollments in 4‐year colleges and universities as well. Results indicated that the majority of respondents had achieved their educational goals and improved a variety of cognitive and noncognitive behaviors as a result of their college experiences. A substantial number of respondents originally identified as non‐returning students described a “drop‐in/drop‐out” enrollment pattern, thus casting some doubt on formerly accepted community college attrition and retention rates. Reasons most often cited for not re‐enrolling at the community college revolved around work schedule conflicts, financial difficulties, life‐style changes, and personal problems. The majority of short‐term leavers did plan to eventually enroll again and, of those, most planned to re‐enroll at the community college.
