Beyond the Clock: The Influence of College Delay on Male Student Persistence

Male students are more likely than female students to delay college entry. In male culture that widely expects stoicism, the delay decision among male students and its risks often go unnoticed. This study investigated the link between college delay—a “silent input” in such culture—and male student persistence through the third year of study. Drawing from the 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal study (BPS:12/17), the authors analyzed a sample of 4,440 male students at four-year higher education institutions (HEIs). Using descriptive and inferential statistics (propensity score matching [PSM] and quasi-maximum likelihood estimation [QMLE]), the authors found a high dropout rate among male delayers and a negative relationship between college delay and persistence. High school grade point average (GPA), household income, degree expectations, and academic integration quality positively predicted persistence, whereas attending an open admission institution had the opposite influence. These findings highlight the critical need to understand the academic challenges faced by male students and to identify practice and research directions for enhancing their college enrollment and success.