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was probably derelict at the time, but I never spent a lot of time worrying about UA’s overall four-year graduation rate.
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Same here. Graduating within 4 years was a given to us. It’s not the school’s fault if kids don’t graduate within four years.
As far as how sorority women fare in grades, I want to direct you to the statistics put together by the UA Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. ofsl.sa.ua.edu/resources/reports/ The cumulative GPA of all sorority women consistently surpasses the all-Greek and all-student GPAs every semester. New member classes are required to attend sorority study halls. Members falling below certain GPAs get extra help from sorority sisters, often those in their majors. Academics is highly emphasized in the sororities.
Further to excellent points raised in Posts #13, 16,18, and 20…I started this reply way early in the morning, and just got back to it now, so sorry if some of this is repetitive. 
I once again obviously have way too much time on my hands…
I want to ask you readers WHY the graduation rate is relevant for Honors vs non-Honors? Knowing that breakdown will provide you with what exactly? What concerns you about a low graduation rate? At UA, regardless if a student is in the HC or not, if that student is serious about graduating in 4 years, they can do so. Advising, or the lack of it, and not being able to register for classes, etc. are just excuses, plain and simple.
The point others have made about parents expecting your students to graduate within 4 years is a very powerful message. Heed it.
According to USN&WR rankings info…graduation rates of many southern schools are indeed troubling. I just picked a few baddies:
Auburn 42% grad rate in 4 years.
UA 39% grad rate in 4 years.
Ole Miss 37% grad rate in 4 years.
Georgia Tech 37% grad rate in 4 years.
UA-Birmingham 33% grad rate in 4 years.
UA-Huntsville 15% grad rate in 4 years.
Heck, even Texas A&M is only at 50% in 4 years.
As a parent 5 years ago I spent a great deal of needless time reading into grad rate statistics; I thought it was a measure of how enabled my son would be to graduate in 4 years…in other words, I didn’t want him to go to a school where he was unable to graduate due to not getting classes he needed, as a prime example. What I realised rather quickly is that grad rates mask many reasons that kids do not graduate, and they do not provide the info I was originally seeking by that statistic.
In certain majors (education, nursing, athletic training, PT, as examples), where clinical work is required, often students are taking a 9th or even 10th semester to fit it all in to graduate. In other programs, and engineering is the prime example here, there are co-ops encouraged, and those students who take those are not graduating in 4 calendar years.
I looked at Purdue, just out of curiosity, because that was one of the schools my son was interested in…and one of the schools I was most worried about him NOT graduating in 4 years because of not getting required courses (as something I had heard was a problem at the time). Purdue has “only” 46% graduating in 4 years. Hmmmm. Not even half. I was surprised by that. I looked at their 6-year grad rate, and Purdue’s is still “only” 74%. 1 in 4 Purdue students will not graduate in 6 years.
Similarly, Georgia Tech, with the abysmal 37% grad rate in 4 years…turns it into 82% graduating in 6 years…so I believe there is some validity to the notion that co-ops in engineering has a great deal to do with low 4-year grad rates.
So, let’s look at UA’s 6-yr rate from the USN&WR chart: it’s risen from 39% (4 year grad rate) to 66% graduating in 6 years Still, 1 in 3 UA students will not graduate in 6 years. That is still very troubling as a raw stat. I hesitate to even write about it, because I don’t have enough answers for why it is so, and I don’t want to paint UA in a bad light by any means.
If you look at the USN&WR chart, freshman retention rate is somewhat correlated to grad rates, but it’s not a predictor. The USN&WR chart has 22.5% of it’s ranking determined by retention rates, and another 7.5% of the ranking determined by graduation performance (predicted grad rate vs actual grad rate, after 6 years).
So here is the link. Keep in mind that this chart shows 6-year grad rates (not 4): http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/data
If you want 4 year grad rate data you’ll have to look at each school individually. Happy digging. Happy comparing.
If you want to look for reasons why you should not choose UA, you will no doubt find them, and for conscientious folk like those reading about UA here on CC, your fears will be addressed and assuaged. If nothing else, you can look back (after you have graduated in 4 or even 6 years) and say, wow, I’m one of the only 66% who graduated, and pat yourself on the back. :-bd
Let’s look at UA versus many of the State Flagships they compete against for students.
4 yr / 6 yr graduation rates:
Alabama 39/66
Yes, Nursing is a nine semester program (four lower and five upper division semesters). Timing of upper division classes and clinicals often make it difficult to complete HC requirements, but it is possible if a student plans ahead in lower division and completes many of the requirements before being accepted into upper division. Some students chose not to continue in the HC once they begin upper division because the priority registration makes only a marginal difference in some majors like Nursing.
There are weeder classes in both lower AND upper division Nursing. Many students change majors in lower division. It is not unheard of for a student to repeat a semester of upper division Nursing or even to walk at graduation but be required to return for an additional summer semester to pass the exit exams.
We never worried about the graduation rate because we new our student understood and shared our exopectation of completing the program on time.
Well, looks like my son is going to stay for a 9th semester of classes, but as noted above that has nothing to do with the school, the availability of courses, or the support available. He struggled with some courses his second year and knew there was help available through sources such as the engenuity lab which offers free tutoring, but he is a procrastinator and was reluctant to seek help, so feel a little off track, but it was ENTIRELY his own doing.
He’ll already be there a 5th year because of his co-op and my hope was he’d be able to make up a few courses over the summer, but looking at the course schedules, it will be easier for him to add a semester and finish in December and then he can take a lighter load next year.
It will mean paying 1 semester of out of state tuition, but with the stipend we’ve been getting from the engineering department for his first 8 semesters, it’s still an EXCEPTIONALLY affordable degree. And I have no regrets. Who’s to say he would have graduated in 8 (or even 9) semesters at a different school, since he was still the same student and would have faced many of the same ‘growing pains’? (Besides from what I’ve read 9 semesters for a engineering degree is not uncommon).
Besides he won’t mind staying (yet) another football season (that will be 6 seasons of those student ticket prices for him. 
@2015pop You have no idea what you are talking about unless you have also worked with a student or the family of a student who has actually experienced what I described. I have and, based on your comment, it is clear you have not.
I am a great supporter of the Alabama program, but I am not a blind supporter, and I think people should have as much information as possible - the good and the not so good. Fortunately, there is a lot more good.
Novicemom and PhilaSkiMom, I have one student at Pitt Engineering and one student at Bama Engineering. If you have any specific questions, you are welcome to message me.