Factors influencing the institutional commitment of online students

• College Persistence Questionnaire predicted program commitment of online students.
• Measures obtained at matriculation were relatively weak predictors of commitment.
• Interactions with academic and social environments primarily determined commitment.
• Findings provided information to enhance program commitment of online students.

The positive effects of institutional commitment (IC) on student persistence and success have long been recognized in campus face to face programs, but there is little commensurate research focused on students in online programs. The objectives of this investigation are to: (a) determine if a combination of demographic, family background, reasons for attending, and student experience variables reliably predicts the IC of online students, (b) assess the relative contributions of the predictors, and (c) provide information to counselors, advisors, and policy makers enabling them to augment the commitment of their students. A sample of 831 online students at a southeastern university responded to the College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ). Results indicated the CPQ reliably predicted IC scores, accounting for 35% of the variance. An important finding was that variables available at or prior to matriculation were of limited utility in predicting IC. Instead, IC was primarily determined by students' interactions with the schools' academic and social environments. Implications for enhancing student commitment are discussed.