<p>DS loves Tulane, I love Tulane but I have been reading lately about the Freshman retention rates and graduation rates. The statistics that I have found is from 2011 and gives Freshman retention rates of 90% and 4 year graduation rates of only 60% and 6 year at 73%. These are lower than the other schools he has gotten into.</p>
<p>Does anyone know why this is? Do a large percentage of kids tend to get caught up too much in all that New Orleans has to offer and neglect their academics? As I understand it, Tulane does not have nearly the "party-school" reputation that it once had. If I am going to be paying at least $40K/year out of my own pocket I want to make sure he gets his degree and gets it in 4 years. So far, this is the only thing about Tulane that has made me think "Hmm".</p>
<p>Just want to check this out before we send in the deposit.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>
You are confusing 4 and 6 year graduation rates with average time to a degree. They are not at all the same. So first, the average time a Tulane student takes to get a degree is 4.2 years, and this includes the architecture students which is a 5 year program for all that are in it. So in other words, the overwhelming majority of Tulane students that stay at Tulane and are not architecture get their degree in 4 years. Getting the courses you need at Tulane to fulfill requirements is never an issue.</p>
<p>Second, the terms 4 and 6 year graduation rates are very misleading, because they do sound like they have something to do with time. In fact, they are almost completely measures of retention. Because some programs are 5 years, the best one to focus on is 6 year graduation rate, along with freshman retention. For the latter, while 90% is lower than schools like the Ivies, along with Duke, Vandy, etc. it is not a terrible rate at all. The major factors in students leaving Tulane after one year are (not necessarily in this order) distance from home, financial stress, and inability to discipline oneself to succeed academically. The last, which probably is not the main reason, is partly due to being in New Orleans but of course happens at all schools. The NOLA factor is probably less than just partying too much no matter where they would have gone.</p>
<p>As far as the homesickness factor, Tulane has something like 75% of their students being from 500+ miles away, more than any other school in the country as far as anyone knows. So it is likely this will affect Tulane more than your average school. The financial factor is obvious. Tulane has been working hard to get freshman retention higher, and has succeeded in raising it the last few years from the mid-80’s to 90-91%. Their goal is to get it to 95%, and they continue to work with students to meet their needs and retain them in greater numbers.</p>
<p>Now to 6 year graduation rates. One reason for the low number is Katrina. We are now 6 years out from the class that would have graduated 6 years after May 2006 (Katrina was August 2005) and so that number will start rising again, presumably. Obviously higher freshman retention helps there too. So bottom line, while clearly there are many reasons to want to see those numbers improve (even aside from their impact on the USNWR rankings), it will not affect your son appreciably. If your main concern was being able to get the classes he needs to finish in 4 years, which I know has been an issue at some of the budget challenged state schools especially, then you can put that out of your mind. That is of zero concern at Tulane.</p>
<p>hmm…my Son will finish his BME in 3.5 years with GPA 3.8 cumulative then off to Phd program. I know lots of kids also finish the school in 4 years (regular terms) but I am sure some also will do transfers to other schools for various reasons like Tulane is private school and it is way too expensive, they can not maintain GPA above 3.4 for engineering majors, etc. </p>
<p>Basically, to each, each own and those who will focus their education will try to finish the school within 4 years. Why worry about others?</p>
<p>Thanks for clearing that up Fallenchemist - makes sense to me about the graduation rates being affected by Katrina - I hadn’t thought of that. I work for a large state university that shall remain nameless where, I understand, it is difficult to finish in 4 years due to students being unable to get the classes they need and where the advisors have a reputation of being, well, useless. You can see why I love Tulane.</p>
<p>As far as the homesickness factor, I am not worried about that. My son has traveled extensively without us and been away from home for weeks at a time. I am more worried about him enjoying New Orleans too much and forgetting why he’s there.</p>
<p>Okla2012 - 3.5 years is very impressive as is his GPA! Best of luck to your son - not that it sounds like he needs it.</p>
<p>Sorry for the late comment on this topic. </p>
<p>Based on your response, please confirm my understanding is correct. This example does not consider the layering of information for 2014 and 2015 class.</p>
<p>100 students in 2013 freshman class (80 students are 4 year degree candiates/20 are 5 year degree
90 return for their sophmore year (90% retention rate - 72 for 4 year degree/18 for 5 year degree)
72 from the 2013 freshman class graduate in 2017
18 from 2013 freshman class graduate in 2018</p>
<p>4 year grad rate = 72% (72/100 - size of the freshman class)
5 year grad rate - 18% (18/100 - size of freshman class)</p>
<p>I think you have it right except for the 5 year rate. 5 year rate is shorthand for within 5 years, not exactly 5 years. So in your example the 5 year graduation rate is 90%.</p>
<p>TU students can definitely get their degrees in four years, even with a change in major (or two). So definitely not the problem you see at many large state universities.</p>
<p>The lower than peer retention/graduation rates stem from (i) Katrina hangover effect, (ii) the distance (85% of all college students attend within a 5 hour car ride from home), and (iii) some other stuff. </p>
<p>Tulane’s administration is definitely working to improve the grad/retention numbers. That’s a big component of the USNWR ranking formula and so those numbers pull TU’s ranking down. What gets measured gets managed!</p>
<p>All true northwesty, and Tulane also has a number of programs that are designed to be 5 years in length. Architecture is most notable since there isn’t even a 4 year option available (Tulane only offers a M.Arch.) but there are others that have an optional 5 year masters. That is why it really is more important to look at 6 year graduation rates, since this also takes into account people that have to take time off for personal reasons, study abroad for an entire year and therefore sometimes opt to stay at Tulane longer, and other situations. My D is a typical example. She could have actually graduated after 3 years, but spent her 3rd year in Beijing on a scholarship from the Chinese government. From Tulane’s point of view this was given as a leave of absence. Therefore she didn’t have to use her DHS that year, and so gets to use it for the full 4 years at Tulane if she chooses. Right now she is planning on graduating after the fall semester 2013, but could stay through spring 2014 on full tuition if she changes her mind. So I assume in the stats she will show up as a 5 year graduate.</p>
<p>It is extremely important to note, as you say right away, that this is unrelated to being able to graduate in 4 years, which at Tulane is never an issue as far as I have ever seen. Classes are rarely full to the point where some section isn’t available. It might be the 8 AM class instead of the 11 AM section, but students can always get what they need to graduate on a normal time track.</p>
<p>I also never heard that stat that if you take into account all universities, 85% of the students are within 5 hours of home. That is interesting, and it makes a lot of sense when you consider all the state schools and their branches plus the relatively short distances between cities in the college-rich northeast. It really dramatizes the difference at Tulane, since about 75% of the students are at least 10 hours by car from home, and at least half much further.</p>
<p>NY Times article about how distance effects where kids go to college. Written by a NY native who, coincidentally, went to Tulane for a year and then transferred to UPenn in nearby Philly.</p>
<p>If there weren’t cheap direct flights on Southwest to New Orleans from where we live, I wonder if my kid would wound up at Tulane. </p>
<p>[Leaving</a> the Nest, but How Far to Go? - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/leaving-the-nest/]Leaving”>Leaving the Nest, but How Far to Go? - The New York Times)</p>
<p>I know! Mine would have anyway, but Southwest was a life saver.</p>
<p>Thanks for that article, really reinforces that point. A story I have told 100 times (but not on CC) is that when I was looking at schools, I drew a circle on the map of the USA around my home town of St. Louis the equivalent of 300 miles, and looked at nothing inside that circle. For me, one of the best decisions I ever made. No Southwest back then though, just the 16 hours or so on a Greyhound bus.</p>
<p>Just a question, according to their admission blog they are attempting to have a smaller freshmen class size this year… that is good for a number of reasons. </p>
<p>But, did they state what they are trying to achieve with this smaller entry class size ? thanks just curious.</p>
<p>Only smaller compared to the last 2 or 3, but actually more like what they normally target. Here is what I mean. Tulane usually targets a freshman class of 1525-1550, because that is what the dorms and other resources can comfortably handle. In the last two classes they have had 1625 and 1642 enroll. This year they are really trying to keep the enrollment at about 1500. So it won’t be an abnormally small class by the usual Tulane targets (assuming they are successful in hitting this number), just a fair amount smaller than the last two in order to not strain resources.</p>