<p>A few posters have asked me what the graduation rate is at UNC-A. As you know, their graduation rate has been of great concern to me. I just looked up the graduation rate as of 2006 on a site that will come up if one googles college graduation rates. </p>
<p>Results: 4 year-31%, 5 year- 49.8%, 6 year-53.4%</p>
<p>Why do their just a bit over 1/2 of their students graduate in 6 years?</p>
<p>I did as you suggested and did an Advanced Googled on the phrase “college graduation rates”. I’m not sure which link you choose to quote. I looked at several within the results and was very surprised. For example, there’s a June 3, 2009 news link that reports:</p>
<p>“The American Enterprise Institute study of 1,385 four-year schools found that on average 53 percent of freshmen graduate within six years. In Virginia, that number is slightly higher at 56.7 percent.”</p>
<p>That got me scratching my head and wondering what the graduation rates were for a lot more colleges.</p>
<p>Something just popped into my head. UNCA incoming freshman are now involved in new student orientations. Have you and/or your child attended one yet? I’m planning to attend an orientation in the next week or two. Perhaps you should press your concerns while you’re there? You might get a better sense of what the school itself thinks of it’s graduation rate(s) and what they are doing to improve it.</p>
<p>bankroll, my son is not an incoming freshman. He still has another year in HS. We are interested in the school, but the graduation is disturbing. I have contacted admissions to find out why it is low, but I was unable to get a satisfactory answer. I would really like to know what you are told if you press for answers.</p>
<p>If the AEI study is correct, then UNCA is very slightly above average. My s is going for orientation next week and maybe we can find out what’s up. </p>
<p>I’d like to know what the grad rate is for students who enter as 18 year old freshman. Unlike a typical private LAC, where students generally enter directly from high school, does UNCA, like many publics, have a lot “re-entering” students who are returning, often parttime, after being in the workforce for a while? That must affect the rate.</p>
<p>Northeastmom- Have you had the chance to visit UNCA yet?</p>
<p>stillnadine, no, we have not visited yet. We plan to visit over the summer.</p>
<p>I will ask for details and post what I find out here. There was an admitted students event a month or so ago, but the graduation rates question (and others) were posed to the student panel, not the schools administrator(s).</p>
<p>My own research has turned up a lot of pretty positive comments about UNC/A from various college advisory articles in places like “US News & World Report”, “Princeton Review”, and the “Fiske Guide”. I do pay some attention to the various forums, but not as a necessarily reliable source.</p>
<p>My own theory (which I will not convey to the administrators I speak to because I want their input) is that the low graduation rate isn’t that low compared to other schools rates. That isn’t necessarily a good thing, but I don’t see the 4, 5, or 6 year graduation rates that much better in allegedly “better” schools.</p>
<p>I suspect that students leave the school (hence the graduation rates) for a number of reasons including:</p>
<p>–They never intended to go to a LAC anyway and transferred when the opportunity to do so arose. NC culture seems to dictate that everyone should try to go to UNC Chapel Hill and many apply to the other state schools hoping to transfer to Chapel Hill as soon as they can.</p>
<p>–They did intend to go to a LAC and they transferred to what might have been a first choice school they didn’t get into the first time.</p>
<p>–Money issues, including going part-time because they have to work.</p>
<p>–Grades issues. I’ve seen several postings on different forums from UNC/A students complaining about the work load. LACs are big on reading and writing and students who are not good fits for LACs may not deal with this very well.</p>
<p>–Distraction. Asheville is a very cool city for a young person. I wouldn’t rule out the lure of “bohemian life” as a reason for students to not graduate.</p>
<p>I agree with you, Bankroll, on the reasons behind the graduation rates. I do think that their gradutation rate is very low, however, I did note that some SUNYs have similar graduation rates which I found surprising.</p>
<p>Someone sent me the below link that provided some very interesting information related to 4, 5, and 6 year graduation and retention rates. Older data (2006) but still very interesting.</p>
<p>[The</a> Education Trust - Closing the Achievement Gap](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/mainMenu.aspx]The”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/mainMenu.aspx)</p>
<p>I’m hoping that academic rigour plays a part - kids aren’t graduating because academically they can’t keep up and perhaps shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I don’t think this is a “slouchy” school - quite the opposite.</p>
<p>bankroll, thanks. This I think is where I looked up the graduation rates.</p>