UNC Asheville Offers Free Summer Tuition to Encourage On-Time Graduation

[JumpyTheFrog]

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/03/01/asheville-expands-program-encourage-time-graduation

 

UNC Asheville is now offering some free general ed summer courses (including room and board, of needed) to their students. Eligible students must be 1-2 courses shy of being a junior or senior. The goal is to get students back on track to graduate on time. The currdnt four and six-year graduation rates are 40% and 60% respectively.

 

Do you think programs to encourage on-time graduation will increase? Do they work? I know NY’s free tuition program requires taking 30 credits per year. How do so many full-time students end up so far behind?

[Dmmetler]

Changing majors and developmental classes can both end up with a kid behind unless they take extra classes, summer sessions, etc to compensate.

[goldberry]

My daughter's degree is 125 credits.  15 credits is max for her if she wants to keep the grades she needs for her scholarship.  You can't always get credits to equal out, also sometimes classes are full or not available at the right time. 

 

 

[retiredHSmom]

My daughter's engineering degree (130 hours) could only be completed in 4 years if she took 32 hours her freshman year, 35 hours her sophomore year, 33 hours her junior year and 30 hours her senior year. 

Edited March 1, 2018 by Tania

[JumpyTheFrog]

Does anything think these type of programs will become more common? What else can be done to encourage on-time graduation? The opportunity cost of taking extra years is pretty high for many students. Not to mention the likelihood of dropping out rather than finishing.

[regentrude]

Does anything think these type of programs will become more common? What else can be done to encourage on-time graduation?

 

Not with the current funding situation.

Our state legislature is cutting the budget of public higher ed again. There is no way we could offer tuition free semesters. Should the instructors work for free? (College instructors are paid for 9 months, i.e. the academic year)

 

One way to increase graduation rates would be better advising.

Edited March 1, 2018 by regentrude

[regentrude]

 How do so many full-time students end up so far behind?

that's easy:

 

1. Having semesters where they do not take the full 16 hours required to finish 128 credits in 4 years. Either because of issues (health, family), or because they choose to take fewer hours to focus on  difficult classes, or because they want to be involved in undergraduate research

2. entering university with lacking preparation. At our STEM uni, a student who cannot place in calc 1 their freshmen semester is behind for science and engineering majors. A student who only places in college algebra is a full year behind right from the start. Students who place below college algebra are two years behind.

3. switching majors

4. double majors

5. coops

 

[wonderchica]

Asheville is an artsy, hippie-ish, nature filled place. Maybe their student body tends to take more time off from studies to try their hand at being an artist? Not a dig- I love Asheville, but I could see this as one possibility for lower grad rates.