Graduation Rates
Under regulations developed by the United
States Department of Education, colleges and universities are required to
report graduation rates to current and prospective students.
The official
graduation rate is a report on the percentage of students who enter as
first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students during one year and graduate
within a six-year period (150 percent of the time normally required to
complete a baccalaureate degree). Students who transfer to another college
or university may be removed from the original count in calculating a second
graduation rate which is called the adjusted graduation rate.
The
official graduation rate for this publication is based on students who first
enrolled on the Springfield Campus of Missouri State as first-time,
full-time freshmen for the fall 2001 semester. The number of students in
this original group was 2,508. Of that group, 1,366 had graduated by the end
of the 2007 summer session for an official graduation rate of 54.5%.
Of the original cohort,
702 are known to have transferred to another college or university and may
have graduated from that institution. After removing the transfer out
group, an adjusted graduation rate of 75.6 percent may be calculated.
This graduation rate is very comparable with the average for other
institutions with similar admission policies. It should not, however, be
considered as a measure of the "probability of graduation" for an individual
student. Instead, such probability must take into account a number of
factors, including the student’s high school class rank, ACT score,
motivation, and commitment to a particular field of study.
At Missouri State, high school class rank has been shown to be the best objective
predictor of success. In other words, students who did well in high school
are likely to do well in college. The second best predictor of success is
score on the ACT. Much research has been done nationally on other factors
affecting persistence through graduation. It has been shown, for example,
that students who live in a residence hall on campus for their first year or
two are more likely to graduate than those who do not. Similarly, students
who become involved with campus activities and organizations have a higher
graduation rate than those who do not. There are many other factors as well,
not the least of which is support and encouragement of family members.
Students at Missouri State can increase their likelihood of graduation through
utilization of the many services provided by the University.
