<p>As acceptances begin to come in we are beginning to compare the different options.
How much stock do you put in graduation rates? I am looking at US News 6 yr graduation rates.</p>
<p>I read yesterday that nationally, an average of only 25% of students graduate from public colleges and 35% graduate from private colleges. So it really depends on the colleges you are looking at.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much stock I’d put in retention rates, as long as the number wasn’t really low. Students aren’t “retained” for a number of reasons. Most schools don’t meet full need, so finances play a big roll in retention. Kids transfer from schools when they discover they want a specialized major offered somewhere else. Kids transfer because they want to be closer to home. Kids transfer for personal reasons. Some kids party their way out. And yes, some kids just can’t cut it. Bottom line, though, it’s hard to read the “why” into the retention rate. </p>
<p>Grad rates might be better.</p>
<p>If a school will tell you their grad rate for students who persist, that might be best of all.</p>
<p>Do those 25%/35% numbers include community colleges and others which may have substantial numbers of non-degree students?</p>
<p>While the UC system is not really representative of the overall, it does have [University</a> of California: StatFinder](<a href=“http://statfinder.ucop.edu%5DUniversity”>http://statfinder.ucop.edu) where retention and graduation rates can be looked up (though the latest year is 2008-2009, so the latest 6 year graduation rates would be for 2003 freshmen and 2005 junior transfers).</p>
<p>I don’t know if simply being public or private matters that much…I think having poor financial aid and/or having a good number of commuting students would have lower grad/retention rates. </p>
<p>We’ve seen posts from students seeking to transfer from their modest privates after realizing that the education isn’t worth the higher prce.</p>
<p>I think graduation rate is the most important single number to estimate the quality of a college. It indicates whether students are focused on graduating, and it indicates whether colleges are focused on students graduating. The weakness is that a high graduation rate might be to some extent due to lack of rigor.</p>
<p>You also might want to do a little searching to see if you can find out anything about what the college is doing about its graduation rates (if anything).</p>
<p>For example, my son’s alma mater, the University of Maryland, has made a specific effort to work with students to improve graduation rates, as described in this article. </p>
<p>[Explore</a> with Purpose – Maryland’s Rising Graduation Rate :: University Communications Newsdesk, University of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2347]Explore”>http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2347)</p>
<p>I think this is a very positive thing.</p>
<p>Graduation rates, on the whole, simply reflect the wealth of the student body. Specifically, the lack of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, who are one small disaster away from needing to leave school and help take care of things at home.</p>
<p>Although I’m sure that’s true, Mini, little things like a university policy that prevents students from being closed out of courses that they need in order to graduate can also help.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Berkeley and UCLA must be pretty big outliers if that is the case; they have ~31% Pell Grant recipients (similar to the overall average, but much higher than the state flagship and highly selective private average), but have high graduation rates of around:</p>
<p>~90% for freshmen after six years
~66% for freshmen after four years
~90% for junior transfers after four years
~55% for junior transfers after two years</p>
<p>Mini is basically correct. All it reflects is the socio-economic status and the general academic preparedness of the student body. You can also throw in the expense level of the school.</p>
<p>Eastern Michigan university…39% grad rate…low ACT scores and GPA…many are first generation college students…poorer students that come and go.</p>
<p>UIowa…64% grad rate…better ACT scores and grades…still a cheap school that has some students that come and go lately for economic reasons.</p>
<p>No surprise with any of these rates. UC’s…same thing due to the influence of academic preparedness.</p>
<p>Northwestern…93% grad rate…best scores and grades…most have parents that graduated from college…expensive school.</p>
<p>“Although I’m sure that’s true, Mini, little things like a university policy that prevents students from being closed out of courses that they need in order to graduate can also help.”</p>
<p>Oh, yes! In my state, it is becoming rarer and rarer for students to graduate in four years. There are fewer sections of introductory courses (making it difficult for students to begin their majors) and fewer upper class electives. However, since there is less and less in the way of financial aid for low-income students (and hence fewer low-income students), graduation rates haven’t gone down as they might have otherwise.</p>
<p>UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity (grant top-up to at least systemwide in-state tuition fees) may have a lot to do with shielding in-state students from the 0th to ~70th percentile income families (up to $80,000 per year household income) from the financial effects of rising in-state tuition fees.</p>
<p>A recent study at the Higher Education Research Institute is using predicted graduation rates. The Washington Monthly rankings have such a stat and the US News rankings have predicted performance. Essentially, they’re trying to get at the “school effect.” With all the expected limitations of using any of this data, you could say that a school with a predicted graduation rate of 35% but actually graduates 45% is doing something positive while a school that has an expected rate of 85% but only graduates 75% could probably use some improvement.</p>
<p>Do you mean this study:
[Higher</a> Education Research Institute (HERI) - Completing College: Assessing Graduation Rates At Four-Year Institutions](<a href=“http://heri.ucla.edu/pr-display.php?prQry=80]Higher”>http://heri.ucla.edu/pr-display.php?prQry=80)</p>
<p>It is interesting to note that a college student’s first year living situation was found to be a significant predictor in whether the student eventually graduates.</p>
<p>Living in a residence hall was found to be strongly favorable compared to living off campus in a private home, apartment, or room (not including fraternity or sorority house), with living with parents or family in between.</p>
<p>Yes, that study. They don’t actually show the projected graduation rates but state that they can be calculated based on their survey information of the students. Then the school should use them to identify which areas to work on.</p>
<p>“It is interesting to note that a college student’s first year living situation was found to be a significant predictor in whether the student eventually graduates.”</p>
<p>Another surrogate for income (in most cases, living with family members is a way to economize…)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>But living off campus, not with family, was worse.</p>
<p>Of course it is worse. Have you ever seen the ‘bro houses’ surrounding a campus? Cheap student ghetto living by cramming 9 ‘bros’ in a 3 bedroom home and lots of parties.</p>