Evaluating the effects of counseling services on student retention.

Although some research exists regarding the connection between counseling and retention, few studies have been conducted in the past decade that examine the current student population. This study is an effort to bridge a gap in the literature by examining the effects of counseling on retention and academic achievement of students in a large, private, research university. ANCOVAs were used to examine if there was a significant difference between the retention status and cumulative grade point average of counseled students and non-counseled students. In addition, a logistic regression was utilized to examine if retention can be predicted by knowing the number of counseling sessions a student attended. Although some statistical differences were revealed, it was found that counseled students retain just as well as non-counseled students and have similar grade point averages when examining practical significance through effect sizes. Prediction of retention was not possible by knowing the number of sessions a student attended. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.