Another program that seems to work is the Students First Mentoring Program at Portland State University, created by Peter Collier, an associate professor of sociology.

The program, based on Collier's research, supports freshmen who are eligible for financial aid and whose parents do not have a college degree by providing online help, tips and videos, as well as discussion groups. Some students also meet with a mentor.

Students in the program earn higher grades and more credits their freshman year, and retention rates are slightly higher, Collier said.

Stephanie Haas, a 20-year-old sophomore at PSU, said she might have quit during her freshman year without help from the program. Her mentor and others helped her through financial aid, roommate and academic issues, she said.

College was "so new and scary," she said. "I remember calling my mom that first night and crying, 'I want to go home.'"

Western Oregon University in Monmouth is expecting its freshman retention rate to improve by about 10 percent this year as a result of a campuswide focus on the issue, said Dave McDonald, associate provost.

The university is trying to create the feeling of a school that's smaller than its 5,100 students. For instance, faculty have lunch with students regularly in their residence halls.

"It's one more chance to connect with a faculty member, one more chance to add a face and personality to the people they'll be taking classes from," McDonald said.

Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com

--Associated Press