Relationship of Online Summer Programming and Successful Transitions for First-Time College Students during COVID-19

The personal, social, and academic challenges during the transition from high school to college contribute to lower retention rates and lower GPAs. These challenges are even more pronounced for historically underserved populations. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, students face new challenges and a lack of access to the typical resources and events to assist with their transition. In response to these challenges, an online summer support program was developed that focused on building academic self-efficacy, fostering a sense of belonging and connection to faculty and peers, and connecting students to campus resources. Survey results showed greater connection and self-efficacy for participants, and a one-way between-subjects ANCOVA indicated significantly higher first-term GPAs for those who participated (over 0.3 points higher on a 4-point scale). Initial qualitative interviews indicated overall positive student perceptions of their participation and the program's benefit.