Effects of Radiography Program Admissions Practices on Student Retention

Journal of Allied Health, Fall 2006 by Kudlas, Myke J

Programs with a competitive process for admissions are more likely to have a higher retention rate than programs that do not use even a basic competitive process. The data regarding the use of specific admissions practices and their effects on retention showed that the use of reference letters and selective GPA were the only two factors that correlated with significantly increased retention rates among programs that use a competitive admissions process. The retention rates of hospital-based and certificate-granting programs were significantly higher than the rates for all other program types. Although institutions are unlikely to change their organizational structure to increase retention, further exploration of the reasons why retention rates are higher in hospital-based and certificate-granting programs is a reasonable way to build on the result of the present study.

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