- The graduation rate for those students starting out as STEM majors was 17 percent compared to Business at 30 percent and Education at 22 percent.
- In terms of switching majors, 15 percent of Business students switched compared to 27 percent for STEM majors.
- There was no association among dropping or switching and a person’s ethnicity and county of origin.
- High school ranking is consistent with predicting matriculation at least for the three majors in this study.
- The highest numbers of students drop out, from all three subjects, in the first year with significantly less in the second and third years; a somewhat slow but stable rate for the fourth, fifth and sixth years and then a significant increase in drops in year seven.
- The biggest difference between the three majors is the switch rate. In Business, more students graduated than switched in years four and five; for STEM, more students switched majors in years four and five rather than graduated.
- Of the STEM students who switched majors, the largest group was the top 25 percent in year four; and the largest percentage of switches came from the next 15 percent and the second quarter students in year five.