The Tiger’s Roar

Student maturity levels, financial aid and the variety of campus programs are the leading causes of dropouts at Savannah State University, according to an university administrator.

According to the University System of Georgia, Savannah State’s retention rate for undergraduates from 2013 through 2015 is at about 70 percent. This leaves the drop out — or stop out — rate to be 30 percent for that same time period.

In comparison with other universities in the state, such as Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University, Savannah State falls below the average retention rate of 80 percent.

“There is a freshmen cohort, the first time and full-time fall semester freshmen, and that’s what gets tracked for the purposes of retention. The people that don’t come back the second semester are the attrition, the dropouts,” said Michael Crow, director of the Department of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment. “Our rate of retention, to put the positive spin on it, is usually around 70 percent. About 70 percent of the freshmen who come here comes back the next year.” read more…