AUSTIN -- University of Texas officials announced Wednesday that they hope to increase graduation rates among students within the next five years.
Officials say they have created a new task force that will focus on enhancing freshman orientation and the first-year experience of students. It will also improve advising and student tracking to help more students graduate from the four year university.
The Task Force on Undergraduate Graduation Rates was formed to ensure that 70 percent of undergraduate students earn degrees within four years.
"An easy way to improve graduation rates is to water down the course curriculum, but we entirely reject such an approach. Rather, the solutions to the graduation rate problem must be found in ways that keep the high quality of the educational mission intact," wrote College of Liberal Arts Dean Randy L. Diehl.
Officials say about half of all undergraduate students earn their college degree from UT in four years. The number is higher than any other public college or university in Texas. About 75 percent of UT students graduate in five years. More than 80 percent graduate within six years.
The task force will be in charge of the following:
- Requiring orientation for all incoming first-year students.
- Creating an online tool to better allow students and advisers to monitor progress to a degree.
- Developing more intervention programs to identify and assist students in academic jeopardy.
- Identifying "bottleneck" courses where limited seats can create challenges for students pursuing a required path to graduation.
- Helping students commit to a major and avoid adding a second major if requirements cannot be met in four years.
- Creating flat-rate summer tuition to encourage students to take more courses.
- Increasing tuition for students who have not graduated despite earning more than the required number of credits.
“Timely graduation benefits every constituent in the educational chain, from parents and students to professors and administrators,” said UT President Bill Powers. “What’s more, it represents a major savings for students in an age of concern over rising costs.”
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