The Role of Ongoing Counseling on College Students’ Academic Outcomes

Retention continues to be a point of concern for academic institutions, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled growing concerns for institutions ranging from community colleges to universities. Past research has identified various psychological factors significant to the discussion of academic success and retention. Recent scholarship has illustrated that participation in college and university counseling can positively contribute to academic outcomes and retention. Results demonstrated students participating in counseling were more likely to be retained, more likely to graduate, and spent more time at the university prior to graduation (Study 1). Results also demonstrated, for students in counseling, women were more likely to graduate than men, and White students graduated in significantly less time compared to African American and Asian American students. The impact of campus climate and institutional racism are discussed.