College Mathematics Beliefs and Belonging Survey
Category: Student Well-Being
Despite the potential for illness or bereavement to significantly disrupt education, there is little evidence about the frequency and impact of absences in higher education. Using administrative data from a large public university in the United States, we analyze the incidence of reported student absences and their effects on grades and retention. We document significant heterogeneity in the use of university-excused absences across gender, race/ethnicity, and income levels. This finding offers insight into how students utilize policies to mitigate the adverse effects of absences. Furthermore, estimates show that these reported absences decreased the likelihood of a student returning the next semester, particularly for first-year students. These effects do not vary across student characteristics. Among students who return to the institution, reported absences lower the same-term GPA but do not affect future GPAs. The same semester effects appear to be larger for students from less advantaged backgrounds. These findings are helpful for policymakers seeking to mitigate both disparities in the use of institutional policies designed to help students and the adverse effects of absences on educational outcomes.
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Topics
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/6tkw-hq81
