A new report by The Education Trust ranks Elon University graduation rates among the best in the nation. Details...
The graduation rate data, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by 1,400 colleges and universities, details four-year and six-year graduation rates for the year 2003. A first-of-its-kind Internet database, College Results Online, allows users to compare graduation rates for schools and types of students.
Among the purposes of the report was to document the gap in graduation rates between white students and minority students. In Elon’s case, African-American and Latino students actually had higher graduation rates than the overall student body.
Elon’s six-year graduation rate for all students of 71 percent ranks in the top 8 percent of all masters-level schools, making it the top master’s-level school in North Carolina. The four-year graduation rate of 62 percent ranks Elon in the top 6 percent of the nation’s master’s-level institutions.
Nationally, fewer than 40 percent of all students graduate in four years and only about 57 percent graduate in six years. The national six-year graduation rate for African-American students is 40 percent, and the Latino graduation rate is 47 percent.
For African-American students, Elon’s six-year graduation rate of 72 percent ranks #7 among 456 master’s-level schools in the nation. The report cites Elon as one of only 15 schools in the nation where there is a small or non-existent gap between the graduation rates of African-American and white students.
For Latino students, Elon’s six-year graduation rate of 72.7 percent ranks #19 among 456 master’s-level schools in the nation.
Elon also ranks among the top schools in freshman-to-sophomore year retention rate. Eighty-seven percent of Elon freshmen return for their sophomore year, ranking the university #18 out of 456 master’s-level universities in the nation.
The Education Trust is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization based in Washington that has a special focus on schools that serve African American, Latino, Native American and low-income students. Organization officials say the new database will help colleges improve by learning from others that are having success in graduating students on time.
Elon University six-year graduation rate rankings
All students
- Elon ranks #36 among 456 master’s I- level colleges and universities
- Elon ranks #28 among 209 private master’s I- level colleges and universities
- Elon ranks #228 among all 1,400 colleges and universities in the report
- Elon ranks #5 among 47 North Carolina colleges and universities
(1. Duke, 2. Davidson, 3. Wake Forest, 4. UNC-Chapel Hill, 5. Elon)
African-American students
- Elon ranks #7 among 456 master’s I- level colleges and universities
- Elon ranks #7 among 209 private master’s I-level colleges and universities
- Elon ranks #88 among all 1,400 colleges and universities in the report
- Elon ranks #4 among 47 North Carolina colleges and universities
(1. Wake Forest, 2. Duke, 3. Davidson, 4. Elon, 5. UNC-Chapel Hill)