The Effect of Retention Policy on Academic Performance
Retention policies have become increasingly common in higher education institutions as a
means of upholding academic standards. These policies, which require students to maintain a
prescribed minimum grade or grade point average (GPA) to remain in their chosen program, are
applied across various fields of study. At their core, retention policies are designed to promote
educational quality, enhance student performance, and reinforce institutional credibility.
However, the true impact of such policies on academic performance remains an ongoing
debate.
Supporters argue that retention policies encourage students to strive harder and achieve better
results, while critics caution that the pressure they create may foster stress, anxiety, and
disengagement. Research findings likewise remain inconclusive. Studies have reported that
retention can lead to short-term academic improvements, yet these benefits often diminish
over time and may increase the likelihood of dropout (Goos, Pipa, & Peixoto, 2021; Hughes et
al., 2017). More recent evaluations suggest that retention may be effective when paired with
strong remedial support, though long-term outcomes are still uncertain (Larsen, 2024; Hwang,
2025). Furthermore, much of the existing evidence comes from high-income countries, leaving
a gap in understanding its effects within the Philippine educational context.
Beyond academic outcomes, the broader implications of retention remain underexplored.
Current research tends to emphasize grades, dropout rates, and passing rates while overlooking
students’ emotional, social, and psychological struggles. Variations in school standards also
make findings difficult to compare, and few studies integrate student voices with quantitative
data. Yet, retention undeniably influences not only learning performance but also confidence,
motivation, and peer relationships factors equally vital for student success.
This study seeks to examine how retention policies truly affect students, both academically and
holistically. By amplifying student perspectives and considering their social and emotional
experiences, it aims to provide a more complete picture of retention’s consequences.
Ultimately, this research matters because it contributes to the development of fairer, more
supportive policies that value growth rather than punishment ensuring that educational
systems genuinely foster student success in all aspects of learning and development