The Board of Regents will hear a presentation of the annual University of Wisconsin System Accountability Report Thursday, which shows second-year retention and six-year graduation rates in the University of Wisconsin System both exceed national averages. However, underrepresented minorities and Pell Grant recipients still fall behind.
The accountability report outlines goal areas where the system has worked to improve, based on a framework spearheaded by UW System President Kevin Reilly. One of these areas is the number of students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years. The 59.6 percent six-year graduation rate of 2006 freshmen beat out the national average of 56.6 percent.
In terms of second-year retention, 80.2 percent of freshmen continue onto a second year at the same institution, which is higher than the national average of 79.3 percent. This is on target to meet the system’s goal of 80.4 percent retention, the report said.
With both six-year graduation rates and second-year retention, underrepresented minorities and low income Pell Grant recipients lag behind. The system hopes by 2015 to slash equity gaps to half of their baseline cohorts, the rates from 1998-2000.
Gaps in both second-year retention and six-year graduation slightly increased among students receiving need-based Pell Grants. While the number of non-Pell Grant recipients graduating in six years increased, the rate of Pell Grant recipients has remained stagnant.
The gaps between second-year retention of underrepresented minority students and the number graduating within six years decreased slightly, compared to the baseline cohorts.
However, according to the report, more progress is necessary to meet the 2015 goal.
Another of the system’s goals was to increase the number of degrees awarded each year. The UW System increased this number by over 6,000 from 2011-’12. This year, the system awarded 35,708 degrees.
However, the 26 percent of Wisconsin residents with a college degree falls short of the national average of 29 percent, the report says.
Board of Regents members will hear a presentation on the reports at a full board meeting Thursday morning.
