The student population at Iowa State is always fluctuating. Numbers from fall semester will be different for those in the spring semester.

Iowa State has a high retention rate. In 2012, 87.1 percent of freshman that started school for the full academic year did so into the next academic school year, according to university statistics provided by the Office of the Registrar.

Also in 2012, 95.3 percent of freshman continued their education at Iowa State after their first Fall semester.

There are multiple reasons for seeing students leave after semesters.

“The reasons we see students departing from the university runs across a whole spectrum,” said Keith Robinder, assistant dean of students and director of student assistance and outreach. “Sometimes they just don’t have a good fit at Iowa State and realize that and decide they would like to switch schools.”

But it is not only the students who do not “fit” that leave the university at the end of the semester. Some students do not have a choice about leaving.

Sometimes due to financial implications, some students may no longer be able to afford to attend school. Not all students who leave after a semester leave the university completely.

Some students stop attending the university just for a period of time so they can have a job to pay for their schooling. They then wish to continue their schooling at some point.

Others leave the university because they are experiencing a mental health crisis or other similar circumstances Robinder said.

“We generally try to work with students if they are stopping out temporarily, so that they know [there are] opportunities to come back to the university,” Robinder said.

Many students are intending to continue at Iowa State, but they just cannot continue into the next semester.

While there are a variety of reasons students may not continue into the new semester, generally a large amount of incoming freshman will continue at ISU until graduation.

From the freshman class that entered in 2009, 74.1 percent of the students stayed at the university for four years, and 40.7 percent of those completed their education and graduated in four years, according to university statistics.

While the student population at Iowa State varies often, there is a large amount of the student population that stays the same. Though some students may leave the university after a semester or a few semesters, it is not always permanently, and it is not always by choice.

There are not just a few pinpointed reasons as to why students leave the university before completing a degree. While there are some reasons that are seen more often, such as the wrong fit or financial issues, there are many different reasons as to why students leave.