Hunter
02/18/22
Officials report that the graduation rate at Iowa’s regent universities is going up and is above the national average.
However, the retention rate for returning freshmen has dropped in the last year, most likely due to the pandemic.
The Gazette reports that the figures were released by the Board of Regents this week. They show the four-year graduation rate improving from 52 to 54 percent, well above the national average of four-year public universities of 41 percent. The national average for private-run universities is 56 percent.
As far as the retention rate, 87 percent of Iowa’s 2020 freshman class returned for their sophomore year, down a percentage point but well above the national return rate for public and private universities of 76 percent.
The University of Iowa’s retention rate remained stable at 88 percent and has the highest four-year graduation rate among the three state-run universities, at 57 percent. ISU’s rate is 54 percent, while UNI’s is 45 percent.