Although enrollment rates have been rising, graduation rates have
been stagnating in higher education in the U.S. (US College Dropout
Rates Spark Concern, 2006). A study performed by American College
Testing (ACT) revealed that one in every four college students drops
out before finishing their sophomore year (Whitbourne, 2010). Research
conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated
that slightly over half of first-time college students attending 4-year
institutions full-time completed a bachelor's degree or equivalent at
that institution within 6 years (U.S. Department of Education &
National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)