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 Subject : Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Wo.. 05/27/2026 07:38:48 AM 
Aaron Mahl PhD
Posts: 1
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Subject :Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

Great question. A few resources here:

Mentorship as Experiential Learning- A webinar by Dr. Ashley Finley.

Another conversation here with George Kuh: https://www.peoplegrove.com/resource-library/take-high-quality-high-impact-practices-to-scale/

Research:

NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Research NACE publishes annual internship and co-op reports. Their data show that students with paid internships receive higher rates of full-time job offers and higher starting salaries. A survey of 2021-2023 graduates found that those who participated in experiential learning had higher career satisfaction and average salaries than those who did not.

Strada Education Foundation Strada's State Opportunity Index and related reports draw on nationally representative surveys of 2020-2023 graduates. Key finding: graduates who completed paid internships were much more likely to land degree-requiring jobs (73%) and to report satisfaction with career progress. Disparities persist for women, people of color, first-generation, and low-income graduates even within the same fields of study.

It is worth being aware of one notable counterpoint: a 2018 study (now 8 years old!) published in The Journal of Higher Education questioned whether HIPs actually yield higher graduation rates once selection effects are controlled for. Kuh and Kinzie published a response in Inside Higher Ed defending the evidence base and pointing to implementation quality as a critical variable. This is useful context if you are building a research brief, since acknowledging and addressing the counterargument strengthens your case.
 Subject : Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Wo.. 05/26/2026 03:29:28 PM 
Bill Heinrich
Posts: 6
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Subject :Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

Hi Laura,

NACE did a survey of recent grads about their EL activities and job success. Here is a story about it, but I think you have to be a NACE member to access the full report.

Bill

https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/internships/students-recognize-the-importance-of-gaining-internship-experience
 Subject : Re:Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and.. 05/26/2026 02:44:12 PM 
Richard Robles
Posts: 4
Location: 
Subject :Re:Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

If you are looking for research on this topic, there isn't much. You will have to look at the UMR studies and completion rates and then find studies at institutions with EL as a primary program. So for example, look at colleges of engineering with a heavy co-op / internship program then find studies that incorporate these variables. FYE engineering programs address retention, persistence, and graduation. Workforce entry and placement, and long-term persistence may be a stretch since many schools don't have consistent outcomes data.

What is your research question?
 Subject : Re:Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and.. 05/26/2026 02:11:19 PM 
Karen Perell-Gerson
Posts: 1
Location: 
Subject :Re:Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

Hi Laura,

We have started an experiential learning program in FA24 at the 1000 level & have seen substantial retention in those students who took our EXACT (experiential learning & critical thinking) courses in FA24/SP25 vs. those who did not. We haven't published it yet because we are waiting for FA26 data before we publish.

I am happy to chat.

Karen Perell-Gerson
Director of EXACT Plan/QEP
Georgia Gwinnett College
[email protected]
 Subject : Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Wo.. 05/26/2026 01:32:57 PM 
Madi Hiddie
Posts: 1
Location: 
Subject :Re:Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

Hi! If you are interested in chatting in more depth please feel free to email me! [email protected]
Otherwise,this is a good article about undergraduate research impacts on retention https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10899995.2019.1646072
 Subject : Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workf.. 05/26/2026 11:39:01 AM 
Laura Pitts
Posts: 2
Location: 
Subject :Looking for Evidence Connecting EL to Retention, Graduation, and Workforce Success

I am looking for research studies, particularly quantitative or longitudinal studies, that examine the relationship between experiential learning (EL) opportunities and measurable student success outcomes. Specifically, I am interested in studies that connect experiential learning participation (internships, undergraduate research, service learning, work-based learning, high-impact practices, etc.) to outcomes such as:
  • Student retention and persistence
  • Graduation or degree completion rates
  • Credit completion/momentum
  • Workforce entry and career placement
  • Long-term workforce persistence or career success
  • Graduate school enrollment
  • Outcomes for Pell-eligible, first-generation, or other underserved student populations

I am especially interested in studies that include measurable institutional or workforce data rather than solely student perception or satisfaction data. If anyone has recommendations for key articles, authors, meta-analyses, institutional reports, or national datasets related to these areas, I would greatly appreciate them.
 
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