APM ReportsIlluminating Journalism from American Public Media
Menu
  • Our Reporting
  • Podcasts
  • About Us
Menu
  • Our Reporting
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
    • History
    • Policing and Criminal Justice
    • Reading
    • Teen Treatment Industry
  • Podcasts
    • APM Reports Documentaries
    • Educate
    • Historically Black
    • In Deep
    • Order 9066
    • Sent Away
    • Sold a Story
    • Sold a Story en español
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Email Notifications
    • Ethics Guidelines
    • Impact
    • Our Journalists
    • Public Media Accountability Initiative
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    What’s unfair about college grad rates

    Our guest says the way graduation rates are calculated is not fair to low-income, first generation college-goers or to the institutions that serve them. (Like his.)

    November 3, 2014

    What’s unfair about college grad rates
    Metropolitan College of New York class of 2014 Photo: Amy Locker Photography
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    It’s no coincidence that college graduation rates are highest for the most selective schools. The Department of Education metric considers only first-time, full time, fall-starting college-goers who complete in six years or less. The Department of Ed.’s official graduation rate for these students is 59 percent; for students at schools with open admissions, it’s only 33 percent.

    A growing number of college students complete their degrees, but are not counted in a school’s graduation rate because they are part-time, or transfer students, or they take longer than six years to finish.

    That’s going to be a big deal if, as promised, the Obama administration ties federal financial aid to “value” metrics like the graduation rate. The Department of Ed. already publishes a College Scorecard, a website where families can go to compare prospective schools.

    Our podcast guest Vinton Thompson, President of Metropolitan College of New York, says that the graduation rate is a poor metric that will do more harm than good if it doesn’t change.

    APM Reports
    • Our Reporting
    • Podcasts
    • About Us
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
    American Public Media
    • © 2025 Minnesota Public Radio. All Rights Reserved.
    •  
    • Terms and Conditions
    •  
    • Privacy Policy