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Four campuses where many low-income students are graduating

A college degree is one of the best tickets for climbing the economic ladder. Yet at many schools, low-income students graduate at a rate much lower than that of their wealthier peers. Here are a few colleges and universities where low-income students attend in large numbers and reach the finish line just as often as everybody else.

4. University of North Carolina, Greensboro

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.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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