I’ll try to speak in regards to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, since I went there.
Alaska’s economy isn’t as dependent on a college-educated workforce as other state economies. So lots of students at UAF attend for a year or so, don’t really see the point in spending the time and money to get a degree, and leave. They can make a decent living doing construction, working up at the North Slope oil fields, or working on a fishing boat.
UAF also has a larger than typical proportion of older and non-traditional students. Many of my classmates had families and worked full time. They’ll take one or two classes a semester, so it takes them awhile to graduate. You get students from the nearly Army and Air Force bases who will enroll for a few classes, and then they’ll get transferred to a different base. So they get counted as people who didn’t graduate within six years.
It was found that students from rural Alaska had very high drop-out rates. Going from little villages of less than 1000 people to Fairbanks, which had about 100,000 people, turned out to be too much of a culture shock for them so they returned to their villages.
Plus, a lot of people from the lower 48 will enroll at UAF, find they can’t handle the weather and isolation, and leave.
It took me 7 years from the time I started at UAF until I graduated. I dropped out after my sophomore year, spent four years in the Air Force, and then returned to finish school. That kind of story wasn’t unusual at UAF.
My posts above–#30 & #31–show that both the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces offer very generous scholarships to residents, non-residents, and to international students.
Both universities report having low percentages of international students at 2% UNM and 4% NMSU.
UNM hisorically a low percentage of students living on campus, but is trying to change that by requiring some students to live on campus in an effort, presumably, to encourage better retention & higher graduation rates.
NMSU reports that 22% live on campus.
Most popular major at both universities is business. Health professions and related majors are popular at both schools. NMSU has a significant percentage of students majoring in engineering. UNM also has a high number majoring in biology.
University of Alaska at Fairbanks did not share information with respect to majors.n
It appears that all 3 universities, Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks, Univ. of New Mexico, and New Mexico State University have nearby military bases.
@simba9 may have revealed a key reason for below average graduation rates due to military transfers (which would affect both the person in the military as well as the spouse).
As all of these universities are ranked by US News in the category of National Universities, it is reasonable to assume that they all offer a solid educational experience. (US News lists 399 institutions as National Universities, but only ranks 292 of the 399. As I am familiar with several of the unranked universities and know that they offer solid educational opportunities for undergraduate study, this thread is not concerned with the quality of education offered by the schools listed in the opening post in this thread. The primary concern is on the sub-50% six (6) year graduation rates.)
It would be helpful & interesting to read about possible reasons for the sub-50% graduation rates at The University of Missouri at Kansas City (reports an impressive ACT 25% & 75th% as 21 & 28) as well as for The University of Memphis (ACT 25th% & 75th% were repoted as 19 & 26).
Both universities reported a 6 year graduation rate of just 48% for 2018.
Another poster asked why this thread started with a focus on University of New Mexico & on New Mexico State University after listing 15 ranked National Universities with sub-50% six year graduation rates.
UNM & NMSU are the two flagship universities of New Mexico with Division I sports teams and, for those two reasons, have a high profile nationally. Also, New Mexico is the only state with both state flagships ranked as National Universities with sub-50% six year graduation rates.
Additionally, because New Mexico’s neighboring state of Arizona has two state flagship universities (ASU & UArizona) which perform above the national average for 6 year graduation rates, it invited an opportunity for comparison.
Both New Mexico & Arizona flagship universities offer substantial scholarships to both residents & non-residents.
As we are most likely in an economic recession, many college applicants and their families will be seeking affordable options for a college degree. This should draw attention to UNM & to NMSU as well as to ASU & UArizona.
Why keep stirring the pot? This post does nothing to move the conversation along.
@publisher…perhaps if average student age for these schools is available that might give some insights.
I also think the rise of online colleges leaves a smaller pool of students for some of the schools discussed here. For example I know a number of these schools (ASU, Western Governors, SNHU) appeal to military personnel, and other non-traditional students because one’s education isn’t tied to where you live and it tends to be cost effective.
I agree that these universities and like schools with low graduation rates should look into why this is so. It is possible that these schools are giving upper education opportunities to far more of their surrounding population than like schools which can be including terribly unprepared students from the onset.
Where i am working, prospects for college are not good for most of the folks here. Nothing within 45 minutes, poor to no public transportation access and poverty through the generations. It seems hopeless to many to even try. That does drive up the numbers for graduating students in these colleges , by getting a more selective group attending. Is this a good thing or not? Or, rather, is it better than having students start and not complete? I like to think a little college is better than none, but I don’t know that.
It’s not just tuition money that makes college a true option. Opportunity cost, unsupportive home environment, lack of transportation, insufficient academic prep, counseling at the school to give direction all play strong roles in keeping college relevant.
My personal observations on how U Colorado Denver operates make me believe this is a school that has policy and administration problems in this regard. They need a makeover.
I agree that the Univ. of Colorado’s Denver campus should be performing better. Denver’s economy is very strong. Denver was one of the very few housing markets to withstand the 2008 market downturn. Colorado is a great state for professionals, so a college degree should be widely valued.
Having three different colleges on the Auraria campus probably wasn’t a good idea, and no doubt added to the administrative problems of UC Denver. When the other UC schools located in Denver moved to Anshutz, it probably would have been a good idea to move UC Denver undergrad/grad to that location, too. Keeping the three schools downtown has served only to strain resources in that landlocked location.
The personal situation I encountered with UCDenver was appalling. I believe there are many non traditional students going there that cannot graduate due to their draconian policies and rigidity in enforcing in then. Closefriends of mine had a son caught up in the new and it came down to a lawsuit before the school relented. It was ridiculous, IMO. The way they are conducting business is not helpful to their students or their reputation. I would not advise students to transfer to this school. I have very few schools on such a list
Can you describe more about the draconian policies and rigidity in enforcing? Do they do things like change graduation requirements without enough advance warning and without giving current students the option to graduate under the old requirements?
I am very familiar with the University of Colorado-Denver. This is the classic commuter campus (dorms only introduced within the last 10 years or so) on a campus with two other commuter schools. No sports, no Greek scene, many evening and weekend classes. On campus, you’ll see people going to class, then getting into their cars, and going home. Or to work. Or to pick up their kids from daycare.
So of course half of UCD students take 6 years to graduate. When they’re not taking classes or final exams, they’re working, raising children, starting/running businesses.
In other words, UCD is doing… exactly what that campus was built for.
I’ll add: Colorado has, on the college level, one of the lowest per-student spending in the US. As such, it’s often DIFFICULT to get all the classes you need to graduate in 4 years. Especially at the lesser-endowed commuter campuses.
UC Denver started as a satellite of UC Boulder, and has always been treated as such, especially in terms of overall funding and school infrastructure. It offers a pretty impressive array of bachelor and master degrees. And with so many students in prehealth and public health, it would have benefited from moving to Anshutz, where a lot of money was invested.
And it serves mostly-non-trads who will take several years longer to get their degrees because life has a way of getting in the way.
Gallaudet University, on the list, is a college for the deaf and hard of hearing. As far as I know, it is the only accredited college for the deaf and hard of hearing in the US. It conducts classes in American Sign Language.It has a small student body. It has had its ups and downs, particularly during period in which there was widespread disagreement about how deaf people should be educated.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare its graduation rate with those of other universities.
Yes, I was & am aware of Gallaudet University’s mission. I believe that disabled students are entitled to an excellent education as are all students. Gallaudet University students deserve to have a sub-50% six year graduation rate examined even though there may be unique circumstances.
This -the obsession with lists and specifically with six year graduation rates-reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the college’s mission. In the case of Gallaudet, it was long considered impossible to provide higher education for deaf students-but despite this seeming impossibility, it has done just that. It is recognized as the best liberal arts college for deaf students in the world.
But that doesn’t neatly conform to any list, and shows how essentially worthless lists of this type are.
And what does it mean that Gallaudet “deserve(s)” to have its graduation rate “examined”? What, exactly, do you propose?