The matter of fact is that UOP has an excellent overall graduation rate no matter what difficulties it may be having in other areas. The New York Times article would not have been able to make as large of an impact if they addressed this issue in its entirety.īy looking at the whole picture one can see that the article utilized information that it chose in order to skew the data against the University of Phoenix. The NCES has a narrow focus on recording graduation rates of first-time college students and does not allow for differences in the mission and goals of a particular institution. In fact, a community college that focuses on first-time, full-time students as their primary market will tend to have higher graduation rates that reflect their mission and goals. The first-time student is not UOP's primary target market and yet these are the students that are required to be reported to the NCES. The adult learner portion of the cohort graduated at a rate of 43%, well over the national average, however their traditional first-time students are graduating below the national average at 16%. The University of Phoenix has an outstanding overall graduation rate of 59%. This rate encompasses all graduates regardless of enrollment status. Census Bureau, the national graduation rate is 25.9%"" (US Census Bureau, 2004). This calculation is not substandard, it simply encompasses the entire fall cohort instead of one piece of the fall enrollment cohort (first-time, full-time). The article additionally states that the University's overall graduation rate was 59% but states that it is "based on substandard calculations". The New York Times article does not reflect that the GRS number only encompasses 7% of UOPs overall enrollment. The GRS is the only number that the NCES requires institutions to publish in its annual Consumer Report. The GRS section of the IPEDS report does not look at all students enrolled in that fall cohort and does not reflect the entire graduation rate for the institution.
First-time, full-time means that the student in this category has never attended college anywhere before (typically the traditional high school graduate).
The graduation rates (GRS) are based on those students that entered as a cohort six years prior, completed their degrees within 150% of normal completion time, and the only students within the cohort are first-time, full-time students. This report requires a breakdown on everything from student level, part-time/full-time enrollment status, age, race, gender, transfer in, high school graduates, breakdowns on majors, human resources, financial status, cost of attendance, financial aid, retention, completion, and graduation rates. This information is submitted in a report called Integrated Post-secondary Educational Data System (IPEDS). The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) requires all institutions to provide data on its institution (including all campuses) annually. I will demonstrate how the article in The New York Times is unjustified in stating that the University of Phoenix has a low graduation rate.įirst off the figure of 16% for the graduation rate quoted in The New York Times is taken out of context. The University of Phoenix (UOP) makes a big target as the nation's largest university and as with most sensationalism of the media this article lacks complete detail and accuracy of its information in its attack on the University. A recent article in The New York Times "Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits" has indicated that the University of Phoenix has a low graduation rate for a wide variety of reasons including instructional shortcuts, unqualified professors, and recruiting abuses just to name a few.
0 kommentar(er)
