The military and government agencies have done a number of specific studies and reports on Marine Corps Recruit attrition rates, including analysis of factors that increase or decrease the percentage of recruit attrition.
Recruit Attrition and the Training Unit Environment: 1981 report that compares attrition and performance of Marine Corps recruits who have and have not graduated high school. The conclusion was higher attrition occurred amongst recruits who did not graduate high school.
Trends in Attrition of High-Quality Military Recruits: A 1988 report that examines why attrition rates remained unchanged even after the military managed to recruit “higher quality” recruits.
Military Attrition: Better Screening of Enlisted Personnel Could Save Millions of Dollars: A 1997 report that lays out some statistics and arguments for better recruit screening processes
Emerging Issues In USMC Recruiting: Comparing Relative Attrition Risk Among Marine Corps Recruits: Published in 2006, this report examines Marine Corps boot camp attrition and documents recruit characteristics. It finds that the recruits with the lowest attrition rates are those that sign contracts as high school seniors, go to boot camp from June-September or October-January, are “high quality”, and meet weight-for-height retention standards.
Predictors of one-year attrition in female Marine Corps recruits: This 2009 study examines the demographic profiles and health-related predictors of female Marine recruit attrition.