A Fork in the Road: Exploring Undecided Student Success

Abstract

Between 2008 and 2019, 49% of Purdue students switched majors. Lack of career decisiveness has been associated with attrition, according to Titley and Titley (1980) in “Are Only the Undecided Undecided?,” and lower academic achievement, according to Tampke and Durodoye (2013) in “Improving Academic Success for Undecided Students.” Purdue University’s Exploratory Studies program (EXPL) aims to guide undecided students with a higher advisor-to-student ratio and coursework in academic planning. This study measures the program’s impact on students’ GPAs and graduation rates.