Fewer than 50 percent of Students at Texas Public Universities Graduate

HOUSTON, TX — Late August means its time for students of all ages to go back to school. For parents sending their kids off to college for the first time there are hundreds of things to create niggling little anxieties — food, safety, clean clothes, roommates, etc.

The one thing that most parents don't worry about is whether or not that wet behind the ears college freshmen will actually graduate.

A recent study by a Washington, D.C. think tank called Third Way shows that parents probably should spend more time thinking about graduation rates and less about dorm furniture.

The study reviewed more than 25 Texas public universities and found that, overall, only about 44 percent of college students graduate within six years.

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The study failed to take into account that many universities in Texas — like University of Texas Pan American and Texas A & M International University — cater to first-in-their-family college students.

Additionally, students at many Texas universities are working while in school and some speak English as a Second Language.

Despite the caveats, many public universities in Texas could easily be labeled drop out factories. Only five of the colleges surveyed posted six year completion rates above 50 percent.

Texas A&M University- College Station had the highest completion rate with 79.33 percent finishing a bachelor's degree in six years. University of Texas at Austin had the second highest completion rate in Texas, 79.06 percent.

About 63 percent of UT Dallas students finish a bachelor's degree in six years. At Texas Tech the number drops to about 60 percent and at Texas State University in San Marcos — formerly Southwest Texas State University — about 56 percent of students graduate on time.

The majority of Texas universities studied, 11 schools, had completion rates in the 40-49 percent range. Sam Houston State University had a completion rate of 49.53 percent, almost right at 50/50. SHSU's rival, Stephen F. Austin, came in at 43.37 percent.

The University of North Texas in Denton had a completion rate of 49.10 percent. About 47 percent The University of Houston- Main Campus's students finish a bachelor's degree on time.

The completion rates for the other Houston-area public universities surveyed are, in a word, abysmal. Prairie View A & M University only graduates about 36 percent of its students on time.

Less than 14 percent of Texas Southern University students complete a bachelor's degree on time and even fewer, 12.98 percent, University of Houston Downtown students can say the same.

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