WV EDUCATION COMMISSION REDUCING CREDITS TO OBTAIN COLLEGE DEGREE

(04/06/2011)

West Virginia has been near the bottom in college graduation rates. Most students, according to West Virginia's Higher Education Policy Commission, take six years to earn a degree. Now the commission is pushing public colleges and universities to lower the number of credits it takes to graduate. The commission says requiring students to complete 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor's degree will get more students through college and lower the amount of debt many take on to pay for schooling. Shepherd University announced plans to make the change last month. Marshall University Provost Gayle Ormiston says the school already has lowered its requirements to 120 hours for most programs. The commission says 32% of students at Glenville State College take six years to get a Bachelor's Degree. The Onveon Education site says graduation rates at Glenville State College for a Bachelor's degree at a four year rate is 12-16%. At a five year rate of attendance, 24% of students get a degree. Education officials have said that part of the problem is that high school graduates are poorly prepared for college. Educational outcomes for WV high school students are among the worst in the nation. Out of every 100 9th graders in West Virginia, only 72 graduate from high school, and of those, 43 go to college and of those only 17 graduate from college on time, according to the commission. Six Year Graduation Rates (latest 2004 statistic from WV Higher Education Policy Commission): WVU - 58.9% Marshall - 48.4% Shepherd University - 44.5% West Liberty University - 39.4% Fairmont University - 38.1% Concord College - 36.9% WVU Institute of Technology - 35.2% Glenville State - 32.8% West Virginia State University - 22.4% Bluefield State College - 14.5% See related stories HIGH-ED OFFICIAL SAYS WV COLLEGE'S MUST IMPROVE GRADUATION RATE - State Near Bottom In National Statistics MOUNTAIN STATE UNIVERSITY DUBBED 'DROP-OUT FACTORY' STATE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AT RECORD HIGH - WV At Bottom In Graduation Rates WV FAILS TO REACH COLLEGE GRADUATION RATES ONE-THIRD WV COLLEGE FRESHMEN NEED REMEDIAL HELP WV AT ROCK BOTTOM WITH COLLEGE GRADUATES

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