Like many college students who have a job, Ashley Brumell faces challenges to graduating on time.
The fourth-year political science student balances her academics with a job as a cashier at the John Wooden Center, which requires 20 hours of work each week. To help her with time management and academic planning, she has her mentors from the Afrikan Student Union’s Academic Supports Program and counselors from the Academic Advancement Program, a student retention service.
But many students in America do not have many of the same retention services available to them, which has led to a decline in college graduation rates, said Nancy Shulock, executive director for the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy at California State University, Sacramento.
A recent College Board survey found that the United States has dropped from first to 12th in the number of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees in developed nations. A study by Public Agenda found that 40 percent of students receive a four-year degree within six years. According to the study, Brumell is not alone in her working situation, as 45 percent of students at four-year universities work 20 hours or more a week.
At a speech at the University of Texas this month, President Barack Obama focused attention on the issue. Obama said the economic recovery of the nation relies on improvements in higher education and called for 8 million more college graduates by 2020. He did not introduce any new initiatives in his speech but highlighted his administration’s work, such as reforming the student loan program and increasing Pell Grants.
One of the main reasons why America has a declining college graduation rate is because many students nationwide lack the resources to graduate, Shulock said.
While the United States does better in college enrollment and accessibility, many students, such as first-generation students who do not have as many friends and family with the experience to help them, face insufficient resources to complete college on time, she said.
For instance, these students may have to balance a job with their studies or find their college lacking in the proper resources to help them graduate on time.
Shulock added that since most colleges are funded based on enrollment, not graduation, it leaves them with no fiscal incentive to help students graduate. She said that funds for higher education need to be spent more efficiently, and colleges need to prioritize instructional and support services that will help students graduate on time.
She added that students should also be given more opportunities in high school to earn college credits, and adults who have never completed college should be included in the system and be assessed based on competency, not the time spent in a classroom.
Other reasons for the low graduation rate included the fact that many states are disinvesting in higher education despite increasing enrollment and that many students are come out of high school unprepared for college, she said.
Shulock said that while she is unsure if Obama’s call for 8 million more college graduates is realistic, California will need 1 million more college-educated workers by 2025 to make up for retiring baby boomers and economic demand.
The biggest reason why graduation rates are declining is because the college student today is different, said Tom Sugar, senior vice president of Complete College America, a nonprofit that works with state legislatures to increase college graduation rates.
He added that 40 percent of students go to school part-time and 25 percent have children of their own. Today, college in America is less structured and predictable, making it difficult for students to balance work and academics.
Sugar said that states should work to make college credit transfer easier and test high school students early so they can receive remediation classes in areas for which they are unprepared. He added that colleges should also restructure their workday so students can better balance their classes and jobs.
And while Brumell plans to graduate on time next spring, she added that although accommodating work and study can be difficult and tiring, she finds it important to be around and receive support and advice from students facing the same challenges she has in graduating.