The University ranks third among SEC schools in retaining students through graduation, falling short only to Vanderbilt and the University of Florida.

“We’re better now than we’ve ever been, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to be even better,” said Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction.

Dropout rate is measured in two ways: six-year graduation rate and first-year retention.

The University has an 80 percent six-year graduation rate, meaning only 20 percent of students have not completed a University degree after six years.

“That’s very good,” said Libby Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education. “Nationally, everything considered, only about 55 percent of people who pursue baccalaureate degrees graduate.”

But Morris said the number of actual university graduates may be higher.

“There are stop-outs, not just drop-outs,” she said.

“They also could have enrolled elsewhere, and completed school there.”

This means students who begin their education at the University, stop for several years and then complete their degree are not factored into the figure.

The University has also fared well in freshman retention. The number of freshman students who stay into their sophomore year is the same as Florida at 93 percent, behind Vanderbilt.

The University has improved drastically in recent years, pushing it further from some low-retention schools such as Arkansas and the University of Mississippi.

In the past five years the University has improved 11 percentage points in its six-year graduation rate, and has maintained a solid freshman retention.

“It’s a deliberate focus on the undergraduate experience,” Morris said.

Policy changes, such as the recent limitation on the number of allowed student withdrawals, have come from student-experience research.

First-year retention coordinator Tina Venus said building a strong foundation early on leads to higher retention, citing two University programs.

First-year Franklin College of Arts and Sciences students on scholastic probation are required to join the Collaborative Academic Retention Effort in order to register for the next semester’s classes. CARE students are paired with an academic specialist to find out what caused their academic trouble and how to fix it.

“Other institutions just have study skills class,” Venus said. “But not every student having problems needs help in study skills. We get to the bottom of what is really going on.”

The University also offers Early Alert, a system where University faculty or staff can refer a struggling student to the Division of Academic Enhancement for help in anything from reading comprehension to personal issues.

“We try to tailor what we do to students’ individual needs,” Venus said. “I think that is why we are making progress.”

In addition to CARE and Early Alert, the University offers free tutoring, anxiety counseling and motivation support.

So why does Vanderbilt still outrank the University?

Morehead said Vanderbilt’s relative success is because of the academic quality, money and the overall profile of its student body.

“If you compare graduation rates there is correlation between graduation rates and the academic quality of the students,” Morehead said. “Vanderbilt has very high quality student and is very small compared to our student body. Because of their size they are allowed to monitor and keep track of each student, the progress they are making toward their degrees.”

Morehead said the availability of financial aid also plays a role in retention.

Morris said private schools, such as Vanderbilt, normally have higher graduation rates due to higher socio-economic status. Much of the private student body come from wealthy, educated families, making their statistic chance of success more likely, she said.