PINE BLUFF, Ark. — At any college, one of the biggest goals for every student is to walk across the stage with a degree in hand by the end.
After years of below-average graduation rates, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has made some improvements.
"We're very pleased with the success that we're seeing within our students," Chancellor Dr. Laurence Alexander said.
He added that the rates are from those who graduate in four, five, and six years.
"The graduation rate is the number that we used as a measure for our student progress," Dr. Alexander explained.
Out of the three years, the sixth will be the most looked at when it comes to the data.
"Six years appears to be a reasonable time which somebody who starts ought to finish college," Dr. Alexander said.
According to the data the university provided us with, they were able to improve the four-year graduation rate from 11.4% in 2016 to 26.6% in 2020.
The five-year graduation rates saw an increase of 58.2%, from 23.7% in 2017 to 37.5% in 2021, while the preliminary six-year graduation rate saw an increase of 38.9%.
In 2018, the university recorded an increase of 28.8% and in 2022, the rate sits at 40.0%.
Dr. Alexander said that while the improvement has been great, he'd like to see the graduation rate rise above 50%.
He also explained that the method behind the institution's success is making sure that staff acknowledge and assist students struggling financially and academically.
"Helping students with everything from their financial aid, to their registration and enrollment, to advising and keeping students on track for graduation," Dr. Alexander added.
He plans to continue to work hard to get the graduation rates even higher in the near future.
"We were around 20%-25% graduation rate, it's very difficult to imagine getting to 50% or 55%," Dr. Alexander said.