SUPER SENIORS: more students graduating

Graduating on time may be becoming more of a challenge for students seeking their undergraduate degrees at the traditional four-year mark. 

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting, a nationwide average of 60 percent of college students do not graduate within six years. Even more notable, the AJC says, "the rates are far worst at some Georgia schools."  

            However, Timothy M. Renick, the associate Chief Enrollment Officer at Georgia State University, paints a better picture for Georgia State.

"The good news is that more and more Georgia State students are graduating on time," Renick said. "Over the past three years, the percent of freshmen who graduate within four years has increased every year."

According to Renick, Georgia State has seen some increase in the graduation rate of students within the last three years. In fact, Georgia State's graduation rate hikes have received a bit of buzz.

"Three years ago, Georgia State graduated a total of 5,981 students for the year.  Last year, Georgia State graduated 6,943 students, almost a thousand more students than three years ago—a 16 percent increase," Renick said. "According to the Education Trust, over the past four years, Georgia State has had the second highest increase in graduation rates for underrepresented students in the nation."

While Georgia State undergraduates may want to find a bit of comfort in the university's progress, Renick notes that there is still much work to be done to improve timely graduations for students.

"We need to do much better, though.  Right now, only about half of Georgia State students graduate on time," Renick said. 

Even with recognizable progress, it seems students are hanging on to the college years longer than the time usually expected.

Renick cited some of the increasing financial demands that students encounter these days as possible reasons for graduation delays.

"The biggest challenge Georgia State students face to graduating on time is finances—most of our students work, in many cases multiple jobs," he said. "Over 50 percent of our students are on Pell grants and almost 90 percent are on some form of financial aid."