BALTIMORE — Steady progress could help improve college graduation rates and place students on a level playing field.
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents has released a report on college retention and graduation rates covering a 10-year period. As concerns mounted over students who don’t finish college, the new report seems to signal a change.
WBAL-TV 11 News Education Alert reporter Tim Tooten said the report is based on first-year college students and tracked how long they stayed in school before dropping out.
Coppin State University is one of a dozen or so state schools where the student retention numbers have improved
“Information like this shows that it’s not as bad as everyone is saying, that Coppin State is actually doing what it needs to do to become a great school in Baltimore,” said Bernard Reeves, a second-year student at the west Baltimore campus.
According to the report, the second-year retention rate for Coppin increased 64 percent. For the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, it increased 68 percent, and retention increased 72 percent for Bowie State University.
Student retention numbers also increased for the University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore County and Towson University.
Coppin administrators said they’ve been targeting first-year students with summer and mentoring programs. Read more
