Here’s another way to look at these statistics. A huge # of WCU students live in apartments and houses within a 10 minute walk of campus. Technically they do not count as campus residents, but they are on campus on weekends, at night, etc. Very lively town and not a suitcase school.
Second, some kids have to take off a semester or two (or longer) to work and save up so they can finish. Others might do a co-op or internship to gain work experience and make some money…This can distort the 4-yr grad rate.
Third, I agree that some students will not obtain a degree, for a whole variety of reasons. Others will graduate, but will do so from a school other than WCU, which is not the same as “33% never graduate at all.”
WCU was always well known for education and music, and its reputation is improving each year, as are the stats of incoming students.