Degree completion rates at American colleges lag far behind those of other nations' schools
Jacob Eaton
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Features
In the eyes of many, the United States has been viewed as the pinnacle of higher education and learning. But the elite universities of the United States, to which domestic and international students flock in increasing numbers, sit atop a pyramid which, at its base, may be crumbling.
A recent study prepared by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems found that degree completion rates are dropping throughout the United States - at a far faster rate than in the rest of the industrialized world.
According to the report, an estimated 48 million undergraduate degrees will be awarded between 2005 and 2025, but to keep pace with the rest of the developed world, 64 million degrees would need to be awarded during the same period.
At Tufts, 91 percent of students complete a bachelor's degree within six years, according to the Tufts Student Services Web site. This bucks a national retention rate of 55 percent.
Tufts Assistant Professor of Education Sabina Vaught suggested that one reason the United States may be falling behind in the proportion of citizens receiving bachelor's degrees is lack of assistance.
"I think one of the key issues for many students is the kind of support they receive," Vaught said. "Some students come to college with generations of family having attended college and being comfortable with higher education."
Vaught added that those students whose families have had less higher education are at a disadvantage and cannot count on a high school diploma to make up for it.
She added that the U.S. education system fails to evenly prepare all of its students, and that this is part of a deeper sociological issue tied to class.
"There's an investment in this society in keeping a class system in place, and one of the means of access to class mobility is higher [education]. Funding aside and access aside, it's my perception that the society is focused around keeping higher education exclusive," she said. "Our class system mandates that few people can experience true mobility. So, greater rates of graduation would, unfortunately, contradict dominant ideologies."
A recent study prepared by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems found that degree completion rates are dropping throughout the United States - at a far faster rate than in the rest of the industrialized world.
According to the report, an estimated 48 million undergraduate degrees will be awarded between 2005 and 2025, but to keep pace with the rest of the developed world, 64 million degrees would need to be awarded during the same period.
At Tufts, 91 percent of students complete a bachelor's degree within six years, according to the Tufts Student Services Web site. This bucks a national retention rate of 55 percent.
Tufts Assistant Professor of Education Sabina Vaught suggested that one reason the United States may be falling behind in the proportion of citizens receiving bachelor's degrees is lack of assistance.
"I think one of the key issues for many students is the kind of support they receive," Vaught said. "Some students come to college with generations of family having attended college and being comfortable with higher education."
Vaught added that those students whose families have had less higher education are at a disadvantage and cannot count on a high school diploma to make up for it.
She added that the U.S. education system fails to evenly prepare all of its students, and that this is part of a deeper sociological issue tied to class.
"There's an investment in this society in keeping a class system in place, and one of the means of access to class mobility is higher [education]. Funding aside and access aside, it's my perception that the society is focused around keeping higher education exclusive," she said. "Our class system mandates that few people can experience true mobility. So, greater rates of graduation would, unfortunately, contradict dominant ideologies."
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Peter
posted 1/28/08 @ 1:56 PM EST
It may be cliche', but we must be careful to compare apples to apples. My initial read is that the comparisons to these other countries might be trying to compare our entire higher education system (including all post-secondary schools) to those schools in other countries (1) who only accept the top of the high school classes (remember not all secondary students in those other countries are headed to college (restricted access in place early in HS career) and (2) 100% government supported tuitions in those countries. (Continued…)
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