The relationship between counseling services and persistence: Perspectives of nontraditional undergraduate students

There has been a vast increase in the number of nontraditional undergraduate students enrolling in postsecondary institutions across the United States, yet the graduation rate among this student population has remained very low. Institutions of higher education will need to find affordable means to increase the graduation rate among this student subgroup. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of a sample of nontraditional undergraduate students and a sample of faculty/advisors who work with this student population, regarding the impact of counseling services on their persistence and graduation. For the present qualitative study data were collected during individual interviews from two separate samples of nontraditional undergraduate students and a sample of faculty/advisors. The participants were selected because they were considered to have rich information about the factors that motivate persistence, while at the same time providing credibility to the study through triangulation. The findings of the study suggested that nontraditional undergraduate students believe that counseling services utilized singularly or collectively can motivate their persistence toward successful graduation.