Who’s Going to Leave: An Investigation of Student Attrition at a Community College in Trinidad and Tobago

This study employs a multi-method approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses to examine factors influencing student attrition at a community college in Trinidad and Tobago. Findings from the multilevel binary logistic regression model highlight a strong inverse relationship between GPA and attrition risk after adjusting for other variables in the model. This relationship varied significantly across the different academic programs. Additionally, being enrolled part-time, being older and being male were each associated with higher odds of withdrawal, controlling for the other covariates. Qualitative insights further contextualized these trends, with students’ frequently citing challenges related to program structure, institutional support, job conflicts, family obligations and financial constraints as key factors influencing their decision to withdraw. Based on these findings, early intervention programs, enhancedacademic advising, flexible course delivery, expanded financial aid, and targeted support forhigh-risk demographics are recommended for improving student retention. Leveraging a similardata-driven framework can help tertiary institutions proactively identify at-risk students and develop strategic, evidence-based retention initiatives that foster academic persistence and long-term student success.