Ball State is pushing to get college dropouts back in school.
More than 750,000 Indiana residents — 22 percent of the state’s working-age adults — have attended some college but quit before completing their degrees, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
“The two most common reasons students drop out are typically due to family responsibilities with students having children and financial problems where they may not have the funds they need,” said Sam Snideman, director of government relations at Ball State. “It’s dependent on the student and their individual circumstances.”
Indiana’s colleges and universities, along with the state’s higher education officials, want to change that and bring those students back to school.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has created an initiative that will be set in the early spring to reach out to those students who have dropped out and offer them a second chance in pursuing their degrees.
The state is advocating financial incentives, flexible schedules and other perks be made available to adults whom need the help, with the hope of creating a stronger, more educated workforce and helping Hoosiers advance in life, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Some colleges are offering financial aid to returning students, as well as forgiving them for past, poor grades.
Ball State is one of those colleges that has already reached out to students through the “Back to Ball State” program, where dropouts have the opportunity to return to school either on campus or through the online and distance education programs.
The program’s process works similarly to transferring. Transcripts will transfer over and feature only passing grades to give students a chance at a fresh start.
“This program was designed as an effort to reach out to students who have left the university within the past five years and to provide them the resources and help they might need to come back,” Snideman said. “We want to get these students through the road blocks that kept them away.”
“Back to Ball State” launched in April 2015 when the university reached out to over 3,500 students, said Staci Davis, executive director of online and distance education.
Only two semesters in, the program take up rate is at 3 percent. Fifteen students have successfully gone through the program and earned their degrees.
“The goal was to help students come back, and to have 15 student graduates already, I consider a success,” Davis said. “It takes a lot for someone to return back to school.”
Davis emphasized the bigger picture regarding earning a college degree.
“As a citizen of the state, it’s important to better our lives through education," Davis said. "When we do that we better our economy, employment rates and our overall community. It’s important for the state to have more qualified students and workers.”
College graduates earn an average of $1 million more over their lifetimes and lower their risk of unemployment by half than those without a degree, according to a commission report. A college degree, the commission says, “provides a passport to prosperity and opportunity.”
Snideman said the university will continue improving the program and attracting more dropouts to come back to Ball State.
“We are driving towards better education outcomes and are committed to doing what we can to bring back Cardinals,” Snideman said. “We want them to know that Ball State will always be there to support and encourage them towards that degree.”
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