As Georgia State faces budget cuts and higher tuition costs, its first-year retention rate shows the university out-performs other schools with similar student bodies and financial statuses at keeping its students enrolled.
With an 84.1 percent retention rate, Georgia State falls behind Georgia Institute of Technology’s 95 percent and University of Georgia’s 91 percent.
However, while 54 percent of Georgia State students receive the Federal Pell Grant, only about one fourth of students at Georgia Tech and about half of UGA students receive the grant, according to the Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Chief Enrollment Officer of Georgia State, Timothy M. Renick.
This leaves Georgia State students at a financial disadvantage when harder economic times arise and federal student aid shrinks.
“UGA and Tech also serve far fewer first-generation college students than does Georgia State,” Renick said. “First-generation college students are retained nationally at far lower rates than are college students who have family members who have previously graduated from college.”
When you compare a university of similar size and with a large percentage of students who receive the Federal Pell Grant, like the University of Texas San Antonio, Georgia State far out performs their retention rates.
UTSA’s first year retention rate is 56 percent, 28.1 points lower than Georgia State.
Portland State University and the University of Memphis are both similar to Georgia State and have 68 percent and 74 percent retention rates, respectively.
“Because the University recognizes the large role that financing plays in retention, President Becker has made it his highest fundraising priority to increase the number and amount of scholarships available to Georgia State students,” Renick said. “These efforts have been successful: scholarships monies awarded to our students more than doubled between this fall and last.”
The university has also given students non-financial resources to help them stay in college, boosting the retention rate.
“We contacted every freshmen student who started at Georgia State in Fall 2011, but did not register for Fall 2012 classes,” said Assistant Vice President for Student Retention Allison Calhoun-Brown. “Through this outreach we identified students who wanted to enroll, but were planning on not coming back to Georgia State because of academic, financial or other challenges. We were able to help nearly 50 of these students to continue with coursework this fall.”
According to Renick, students who participate in Supplemental Instruction, are part of a Freshman Learning Community and have HOPE or participate in the Keep HOPE Alive program can boost their possibility for retention by almost 20 points.
“The numbers illustrate a national challenge,” Renick said. “It is difficult, especially in this economy, to finance and to sustain a college education. At Georgia State, we still have a long way to go, and Georgia State students have a more difficult time, on average, than do their better-resourced colleagues at UGA and Tech. Still, by national standards for campuses with large numbers of low-income and first-generation college students, Georgia State students are succeeding at remarkably high levels.”
