The Persistent Honors Student: Intent to Return to College After the First Year

This study extends research on the connection between specialized programming and curricula and retention for high-achieving students, using data from the 2019–2022 administrations of National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to explore honors program participation and intention to return in a sample of over 13,800 first-year students at 22 colleges and universities. A binary logistic regression model suggests that even after controlling for demographic and institutional characteristics, honors program participation is a positive predictor of intention to return to an institution for the following school year. This finding supports the important role of honors programs within colleges and universities, providing evidence for the positive outcome of retention for first-year students. Implications for educators and other stakeholders are also discussed.