The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA released a report Tuesday outlining how graduation rates at four-year universities can be better determined and improved.
The study contains data from the 2004 Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey, which details characteristics of incoming classes, and degree completion data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
With results obtained from the study, the institute hopes to help more students complete their degrees, the report stated.
“All institutions really need to ramp up degree completion, and even at an institution like UCLA, there are areas for improvement,” said Linda DeAngelo, lead author of the report and assistant director for research at the institute.
UCLA already has high graduation rates, and the study indicates that the university is over-performing when compared to the average, DeAngelo said ““ even though students may take slightly longer to complete their degrees.
In the report, the Higher Education Institute also developed degree completion calculators ““ available online ““ that universities can use to see how to make changes in their institution to help increase their graduation rate.
Additionally, the study included equations to help universities determine their graduation rates compared to other schools. These equations can help establish a benchmark for the success of other universities seeking to improve their retention rates, said Ray Franke, a graduate student in education and a co-author of the report.
Franke said the study found several factors that significantly impact graduation rates. Early action and decision programs, along with the cost of attending a certain institution, help determine whether a university is a good fit for a student, he said.
When a student and university are not a good match, the student is more likely to either transfer or drop out altogether, Franke added.
The report also showed that minority groups were less likely to graduate than others, and that the gap was continuing to grow.
“The persistent gaps, in degree completion, of first-generation students and students of color are important and something we need to dramatically address in the United States,” DeAngelo said.