[ATrain]

For every 100 students who started college at 1,385 different 4-year institutions throughout the U.S. in 2001, only about 53 graduated from the same college within six years, according to a report released last week by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank that researches public policy.

Colleges in Virginia fared slightly better with a 56.7 percent graduation rate, and colleges in Central Virginia were within 15 percentage points of that average.

Liberty University measured in at 51 percent, Lynchburg College at 54 percent, Randolph College at 62 percent and Sweet Briar College at 71 percent.

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/loc ... ars/16601/

I knew that now many went on the 5-year plan, but this figure is still a little shocking. However, with all the people I knew along the way-especially in my freshman and sophomore years-that went back home, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[LUconn]

I don't understand how this is a bad thing. It's shows we're not a diploma mill even if we're known for accepting corpses.

[ATrain]

I don't understand how this is a bad thing. It's shows we're not a diploma mill even if we're known for accepting corpses.

Didn't say it was a bad thing from an institutional standpoint, but I'm just sorta shocked that the numbers are that high for people going into college.

[flamesbball84]

This whole thing is completely misleading. As the article says, it doesn't take into account people who transfer to another school and graduate within 6 years. Within the confines of this study, if you go to LU or any other college for a year or two, transfer, and graduate in a total of 6 years or less, you count the same as a person who simply dropped out of school or took 7 or more years to graduate. I don't really see how that is reflective of the true graduation rate at each school...

[GoUNCA]

Tufts University: 89% Woo Hoo!

UNC-Asheville : 54% Doh!

One out of two isn't bad. Pretty dumb study I think. The whole thing is skewed because less than half (491 of 1385) reported whether students transferred, effectively cleaning up the books for some of the schools. It does, however, seem to point out that the schools with the most money are more likely to graduate students in the allotted amount of time. Kids without money options have to take time off. This also could mean that they don't have enough money to pay people to clean out the transfers from the books.

[DeathCab4LU]

ya unfortunately due to transferring, major change, and now being a double major....I am on the five yr plan. This semester will be my last but over all it will have taken me 5 1/2 yrs.....but I love LU and they have been an amazing 5 yrs