Freshmen dropout rate declines
By Yoko Ito-Peterson
Daily Forty-Niner
Incoming students at Cal State Long Beach
are better prepared for college and are taking more classes, which has
contributed to the decline in freshmen dropout rate, said President Robert
Maxson on Thursday.
"I think the freshman drop-out rate has
gone down dramatically within the last a few years," Maxson said. "I expect
this trend will continue."
Recent figures show 82.6 percent of freshmen
enrolled in the fall 1998 semester returned the following year, said Donald
Coan, director of Institutional Research. Coan said an increase in the
retention rate translates into dropout decrease.
The figures also showed 20 percent of CSULB
students dropped out during this time.
Maxson attributed the decreasing dropout
rate to two recent trends: students taking more classes each semester and
being better prepared when they enter college.
Ninety-seven percent of this year's freshmen
are full-time students, Maxson said.
"Full-time students drop out less than
part-time students," he said.
Coan said CSULB's Academic Advising Services
contributed to the students' academic preparation.
He said the recent trends are a good sign
for the future.
"By students continuing higher education
and finishing the program, [we have] productive citizens in the community,"
he said. |
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