This is another affordable university with more than 40 percent Pell students, who graduate at a rate of 52 percent, just below the 55 percent overall rate. The school also graduates black students at a slightly higher rate than whites.
The university’s Students First Office (SFO) launched in 2011 when an analysis found that students with undeclared majors had a lower likelihood of graduating. The office helps students explore and settle on a major. Students advised there in 2012-13 re-enrolled the following year at a rate of 88 percent, compared with 66 percent of undeclared students who did not get help from the SFO.
Shelby Powell went to the SFO in 2013, after a struggle keeping her grades up. “My SFO advisor coached me and explained all the things about college that I never knew. She called other university offices and, when needed, spoke with other faculty and staff to ensure I was on the right path,” Ms. Powell, now a senior, writes in a testimonial on the SFO website.
Individual departments also reach out to students. The School of Health and Human Sciences, for instance, hired a “dream coach” who offers a one-credit course that helps first-year students shape their career goals.
