More students are staying at Ball State to finish their education, the 2013 cohort retention rate shows.
The university’s freshman retention rate is up to 81.7 percent, almost three percentage points higher than in 2012, and five points higher than in 2006, said Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs.
“The number in and of itself isn’t the end that we’re looking for, but I think it’s a measure of how successful our students are at the university,” Bales said. “Our goal is to help every student succeed, so we look at the retention rate as a measure of that success.”
Indiana University has a 2013 beginner cohort retention rate of 76.7 percent, which is down one percentage point from the previous cohort, according to iu.edu.
Purdue's rate,however, is continually growing. In 2013, theirs was 92.6 percent, which is up from 91 percent for the 2012 cohort.
Bales said the standards of this year's freshmen help explain the retention.
The incoming freshman class in 2014 had an average high school GPA of 3.45, while the 2013 incoming freshman class had an average GPA of 3.41.
“We also have a number of staff that are dedicated to helping students cross barriers [students] may be experiencing that could stop them from making progress or returning to the institution,” Bales said.
The university has an office of retention and graduation with specialists who work with students to ensure they stay at the university. The office is only a few years old, and the retention and graduation specialist for first-time freshman position was created in the fall of 2013.
Mitch Isaacs is the first-time freshman specialist, and works with struggling students to create an action plan to make sure they are successful.
“Our job is to identify students who are struggling," Isaacs said. "We figure out who those students are and reach out to them, talk with them and find out what their issues and challenges are, and ... connect them to the university resources they need."
Isaacs stressed it wasn't just the office of retention and graduation that made a difference in the retention rate, but a joint effort through many people and programs at the university.
"There really is a collaborative effort, retention is everyone's job," Isaacs said. "It really takes that mentality from the whole university."
The university also promotes higher retention rates through the 21st Century Scholars Program, the commuter ambassadors program and living and learning communities. Bales said all of them are positively associated with retention.
The university has 13 living-learning communities, and Joel Bynum, assistant director for coordination of living and learning communities, said they help students because they can live with and have class with the same people, so they can get to know each other easier.
The living and learning communities relate to majors and interest areas and help connect students to each other, Bynum said.
"The whole point behind it is to help them get connected more quickly and easily sooner because the more connected you are to the university, the more likely it is you'll stay and enjoy your experience at Ball State and be successful in your learning," Bynum said.
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