Less than 55 percent of first-time students at the average four-year college graduate within six years, and at many institutions, students have less than a one in three chance of earning a degree–even as they spend thousands of dollars on tuition and accumulate thousands of dollars of debt. The authors find that completion rates vary dramatically across institutions with similar admissions standards.

“Such differences suggest that while student motivation, finances, and ability matter greatly when it comes to college completion, the practices of higher education institutions matter, too,” Frederick M. Hess, lead author of Diplomas and Dropouts, said.

The study’s coauthors use data from the U.S. Department of Education to examine graduation rates across schools with similar levels of admissions selectivity, as defined by the popular Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, which rates schools in six categories from “noncompetitive” to “most competitive.” Among their findings:

• Schools with the least selective admissions criteria have the lowest average graduation rates. “Noncompetitive” institutions graduate, on average, 35 percent of their students within six years, while the “most competitive” institutions graduate 88 percent.
• There is wide variation in graduation rates across institutions within the same selectivity categories. Within the same group of “competitive” schools, the top ten have an average graduation rate of more than 75 percent, while the bottom ten graduate just 20 percent in six years.
• For instance, the University of Louisville in Kentucky and James Madison University in Virginia are both “very competitive” state schools that charge about $7,000 in tuition. While Louisville only graduates 44 percent of its students in six years, James Madison graduates 81 percent.
• Hundreds of institutions fail to graduate a majority of their students in six years, yet these colleges and universities still receive tens of billions of dollars from taxpayers every year. At a time of fiscal constraints and tight budgets, voters and public officials should be aware of institutions that are not accomplishing their most basic task of graduating students.

Parents, students, and guidance counselors too often lack information on graduation rates when selecting schools or deciding where to spend thousands of dollars in savings–or take on thousands of dollars of debt.

“At a time when growing unemployment disproportionately affects workers without a degree, it is critical that this information is available and accessible so that consumers can make informed decisions,” Kevin Carey, coauthor of Diplomas and Dropouts, said.

The authors note that graduation rates are an important measure of school performance, but they do not suggest that high graduation rates are always an indicator of quality or that low graduation rates are necessarily bad. After all, graduation rates would rise if standards were lowered and universities awarded diplomas to all students regardless of academic performance. Rather, this report presents a call for a broader exploration of postsecondary outcomes.

“We believe that the graduation rate measure included here should be just the beginning of a richer inquiry into college success,” Mark Schneider, coauthor of the study, said. “One driven by more accurate measures broadly defined in future earnings, in acquiring knowledge, in workplace success, and ultimately in becoming the kind of citizens who can contribute to the stability and prosperity of our society.”

Where Does UNC Charlotte Rank?

• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Graduation Rate: 51%
• Tuition and Fees: $4,153
• Enrollment: 18,686
• Carnegie Classification: Research
• Institution Type: Public

Download the report in PDF format here “Diplomas and Dropouts – Which Colleges Actually Graduate Their Students (and Which Don’t)” You can see the rankings of over 1400 colleges nationwide. In North Carolina Duke University ranked the highest with a 94% graduation rate, North Carolina Wesleyan College ranked the lowest with a 28% graduation rate. Overall the graduation rate for the state of North Carolina was 50.5% so UNC Charlotte ranks with the state average.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Kevin Carey is the policy director at Education Sector. He writes a monthly column on higher education policy for the Chronicle of Higher Education and has published articles and op-eds in publications including Washington Monthly, Phi Delta Kappan, Education Week, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Daily News. He has authored Education Sector reports on topics including college rankings and improving minority college graduation rates.

Frederick M. Hess is a resident scholar and AEI’s director of education policy studies. A former high school teacher and university professor, Hess is an executive editor of Education Next and a research associate at Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance. His work has appeared in numerous academic and popular publications, and his many books include Tough Love for Schools, Common Sense School Reform, and Spinning Wheels.

Andrew Kelly is a research fellow at AEI and a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Mark Schneider is vice president for new education initiatives at the American Institutes for Research and a visiting scholar at AEI. Formerly the commissioner of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, Schneider is the author and coauthor of numerous scholarly books and articles, including the award-winning Choosing Schools: Consumer Choice and the Quality of American Schools.

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Pick-A-Prof has posted the number of A-F’s given by EVERY professor in EVERY course at most campuses and lets you compare the grade histories in the courses you are about to register for. We are the ONLY website that obtains these grading records directly from universities.

In addition to Pick-A-Prof’s already popular Facebook affiliation, they have extended their involvement with the #1 college social network by developing two brand new applications. These applications echo services available already on Pick-A-Prof’s website, but extend their availability to all higher education campuses present on the Facebook network. “My Courses” and “Professor Ratings” allow Facebook users to plan their schedule, share information with friends, and take advantage of student written reviews.

Pick-A-Prof’s “My Courses” application allows students to add course sections to a schedule that is displayed on their Facebook profile. Future semesters can be planned out and shared with selected friends, while privacy settings allow students to choose who can see their information. As semester schedules change, each member will see how many of their friends are signed up for each course and each specific section. “My Courses” allows a student to plan their schedule with peers for studying, advice, and information sharing.

The “Professor Ratings” application is currently Facebook’s #1 professor review application. It allows students to post reviews for their professors as well as access reviews written by their peers. In addition to the reviews, there are questions that help provide even more statistical information for students looking to choose their classes for upcoming semesters. The quick rating feature helps students with little time rate a professor by simply giving them thumbs up or thumbs down.

Both brand new applications can be found under “Education” when browsed for on the Facebook Applications page. They have gained great popularity so far, and hope to familiarize even more students with Pick-A-Prof.

Pick-A-Prof offers more than just student reviews Pick-A-Prof is the only site that offers all of the following services in one place, just for University of North Carolina, Charlotte students.

Grade Histories

Pick-A-Prof has posted the number of A’s – F’s given by every professor in every course at most campuses and lets you compare their grade histories in the courses you are about to register for. Only Pick-A-Prof obtains Grade Histories directly from the official university records.

Facebook Services

Who you take a class with can be as important as which professor is teaching it. Now you can link to your Facebook account to see which class sections your friends are signing up for. Taking a class with friends so you can study together has never been easier!

Reviews, Ratings & Evaluations

Pick-A-Prof is known nationally as a trusted academic resource and provides the most comprehensive professor information anywhere. No other website collects student reviews online AND from the official end of semester evaluations filled out in class. Pick-A-Prof’s reviews have the most accurate and useful information available online.

Schedule Planner

Pick-A-Prof has designed the ULTIMATE tool for you to simultaneously compare professors, find classes with your friends, and design your class schedule. The Schedule Planner is undeniably the most powerful tool for class selection available online. The Schedule Planner has everything you need in one place – all at your fingertips.

Book Exchange

Pick-A-Prof is a socio-academic utility that helps college students make educated decisions about professors and classes.

For more information visit the Pick-A-Prof web site.

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• Stay Focused on Academics
• Keep Active, Be A Leader &  Enhance Your “Hook”
• Register & Prep for SAT / ACT and Subject Tests
• Start Researching Colleges
• Attend College Fairs & Information Sessions
• Get up to Speed on Financial Aid & Scholarships
• Research College Majors & Careers
• Build Your College Admissions Team
• Start Drafting your Admissions Resume
• Brainstorm on College & Scholarship Essays

The free Guide is packed full of valuable insights, strategies and money-saving advice to help students define their college goals, size up interests, research and choose the right schools, learn about student aid & scholarships, prep for entrance exams and position themselves as strong candidates for college admission and scholarships.

The Ten Step College Planning Guide, targeted primarily to High School Juniors and their parents, is a primer designed to let them be more efficient and cost conscious in the college search & admission process and to position them for a more successful financial aid package.

The Guide covers financial aid, scholarships and other issues related to sticker price vs. college affordability and values in education. The Guide also details the key factors college admission officers look for when evaluating applicants, offers tips on developing an admissions “hook” & college resume and provides links to free prep sites for the SAT and ACT. Students and parents focused on “finding the right schools” will be pleased to learn about a variety of no-fee sites featuring candid reviews (written by students), videos, virtual campus tours, photos, admissions information and more.

Visit the InLikeMe web site to download to file.

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Let us say you started college on a path to a degree in mathematics. You chose this path because you have always done well at math. It seemed logical and reasonable to follow a college academic path in something you were good at. A few semesters down the road you are bored out of your mind with your classes. Why? You don’t really like mathematics.

Often it is a high school guidance counselor or parents who put us on a college academic path. “You are really good at xxx so you should pursue a career in it”. The problem is just because you are good at something does not mean it is the right academic path or career path for you.

This is a potentially academic and career ending trap. You can not be successful at something you are not interested in or you do not feel passionate about. You may make it through four years of college and get your degree in mathematics. You graduate and get a job in a related field and years later you realize what a mistake it was. You don’t like your job, you are frustrated and angry at the choice you made. You want to start all over again but you have a huge student loan debt to pay off. Nothing is worse than getting up each day and going to a job you do not like.

Find Your Passion

So how do you avoid this trap? Find your passion, find what interests you and pursue it. Look at your skills and abilities and see if they align with your interests. If they do consider yourself blessed because you are likely on the path to success. If they do not align you need to take a serious look at the path you are on.

What is your passion? To answer this write down a list of 5-10 things you really enjoy doing. It may be writing, helping other people, programming, working with you hands, figuring out problems, your list is probably endless. Look over this list and narrow it down to ones that you can translate into a career.

Next create a list of 5-10 skills and abilities that you have that can relate to a possible career. Look at an academic catalog to help you create your list. Be honest with yourself about your abilities. You may really wish you were good at science, but if you are not then it is going to be a very hard path for you.

Now take your two lists and look for alignments. Do any of your skills and abilities align with your passions? If so these may be paths you should consider for your academic and career path. If you do not have alignments, look at your list of passions and interests and pick something that your truly are passionate about.

Define Your Goals

“So what do you want the be when you grow up?” How many times did you hear this? Translated to your present stage of life this ask “What are your goals in life?’. Knowing what your goals are will help you fine tune your choices. Write down 5-10 goals you have for your life. Think of your life as a roadmap and these and places you want to go. Your goals should be realistic as well. I want to own a home, I want to buy a new car, I want to travel, I want a family, and so on.

There is no doubt throughout life your goals will change either due to your own personal beliefs or circumstances. This is why your goals should not be the ultimate driving force in making academic and career choices. Goals will give you insight into what is important to you.

You may find that your goals do not align with your passions and your abilities. If this is the case you may need to reconsider your goals. Sometimes people set goals that are too high or unrealistic. You may want to aim for the stars, but setting goals you can never achieve will lead you down a path of frustration.

Charting Your Academic and Career Path

What I have outlined here is not a clear cut path to academic and career nirvana. Do not expect the stars to suddenly align and you will instantly know what you want to do for the rest of your life. If it were only that simple. The purpose of this article is to get you to think.

As I said earlier nothing is worse than getting up each day and going to a job you hate. If you are like most people you have probably already had a few of those jobs. Just as you can not succeed academically at something you do not like, you will not likely succeed in a career you do not like.

It is not enough to have a passion and pursue it. It is like taking a road trip without a map. You know where you want to go, but you do not know how to get there. In the same way you chart a course of classes that allows you to reach your goal of becoming a college graduate, you can apply the same principle to your career and your life. While it is impossible to realistically chart a roadmap for your entire life, you should at least know where the next couple of destinations are.

Charting a path is fairly simple. You are here at point A and you want to get to point B. Your path is knowing what you need to do to get from point A to point B. Point A is where you are now in college. Point B should be graduating college with a degree in something you enjoy, something you are passionate about. Continue charting to point C, your career and what steps you need to take to get from point B to point C. Never think that all you have to do is graduate and the rest will fall into place. When you graduate the real work of getting to point C begins.

In the course of your college life and your career your roadmap will change. You will need to constantly update your points and the paths to get to them. Going through college and into your career without a roadmap, without any points, without a path to follow will get you nowhere real fast.

Never Give Up

Some people have difficulties in defining their passions and their interests. You may feel you are young and have your entire life ahead of you so charting a course now does not seem realistic. The reality is this is the best time to chart your course. For most going to college is a one shot deal. It is expensive and time consuming. Down the road it may not be possible to go back to college and pursue a new career.

This is why it is so important to know what your passions and interests are now so you can align your academics to them. At no other period in your life will four years have such an impact in determining the rest of your life. You should make realistic and smart choices with your academics and your career.

If you find you are on the wrong path now or in the future, do not give up. You still have time to make changes that will allow you to pursue your passions and reach your goals. If your goal is finding academic and career nirvana, forget what your counselors told you, forget what your parents told you. Look deep into your own heart and listen.

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The survey of more than 1,600 college students reveals that more than 50 percent are seeking to improve their own technology skills before they graduate. Eight in 10 expect to encounter new technology that they will need to learn, adapt to and master once they enter the workforce.

The findings come at a time when nearly one million technology-related jobs are expected to emerge as a result of President Obama’s $787 billion “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”

The U.S. government has made a call to action to modernize the nation’s technology infrastructure. This includes digitizing health care records, adopting energy efficient practices and expanding broadband networks. As a result, companies will look to hire more software developers, IT consultants and managers who possess both the technology and business skills necessary to support these investments.

While students see an increased need for IT skills, 60 percent surveyed — part of the generation which has grown up with the Internet and social networking tools — said personal use and experience have formed their technology skills, leading many to yearn for more formal training in this area.

“The United States is preparing to lead the way in the development of smart technology systems to address some of the world’s most pressing issues,” said Jim Corgel, General Manager, ISV and Developer Relations, IBM. “Businesses and academia must work together to prepare students for these new opportunities.”

Additional survey findings include:

• College students are pervasive users of technology today: 99 percent own a cell phone, 93 percent own a laptop, 97 percent have a profile on a social networking site.
• Three-quarters of college students are inspired by computers and technology and seven in 10 view technology as “the future.”
• Among the skill areas students said they needed to improve, technology, writing and marketing ranked in the top three.

Business and Academia Responds

The survey underscores IBM’s ongoing efforts to help academia identify job market-critical skills, and then adapt and advance their curriculum to better prepare students for the workplace.

Since 2004, IBM’s Academic Initiative program has reached more than 2.5 million university students with software and hardware courses. IBM partners with more than 9,000 academics at 4,600 colleges and universities worldwide.

For example, in California, San José State University is now integrating key technology topics into its core courses in the College of Business.

“Increasingly, we’re moving towards smarter infrastructures that promise to fundamentally change the way we live and work,” said Professor Stephen Kwan, Professor of Management Information Systems at San José State University’s College of Business. “There has never been a better opportunity to ensure we are arming our students with the smart skills for the jobs of the future. We need to develop curriculum that meets the evolving needs of our students and their employers.”

“We hear from companies all the time that need students with a diverse technology skillset. This diversity creates greater opportunity for students, and a better prepared workforce for employers,” added Karen Hayes, Industry Liaison at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “We are interested in working with IBM to understand the needs and opportunities ahead.”

Companies in the emerging green tech and clean tech spaces also cite the need for employees with specialized skillsets to help build out smarter energy grids and wireless sensors.

“We are facing a very unique situation with the emergence of a digital grid and smart buildings,” notes Peter Van Deventer, President & CEO of SynapSense Corporation. SynapSense, based near Sacramento, California, is a leading provider of wireless instrumentation solutions for energy-efficient data centers, and is poised to benefit from stimulus funding for smart grid projects.

“What we will see is an emerging blend of skills that cross over between the facility and the technology infrastructure itself. And this means we will need a workforce with a balanced set of skills,” he said.

Survey Methodology

An online survey was conducted by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion of 1,613 college-enrolled undergraduates nationwide. The objective of the survey was to assess American college students’ perceptions of their education, skillsets, career goals and technology.

The survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2008, from November 4th through November 17th, 2008. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.

For more information, visit IBM’s Academic Initiative at: www.ibm.com/university/academicinitiative.

“What do you want to do with you life?” Students talk about how they see their role in creating a smarter world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=795kb8OIqXc.

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