UT-Austin’s Four-Year Graduation Rate Up 59% Since 1983

By Tim Taliaferro in Promote & Protect on July 14, 2011 at 9:39 am | 2 Comments

Graduation Rates at UT-Austin From 1983-2004

(Source: UT Statistical Handbook) Click on the chart for an interactive graph.

With reporting by Sam Bohmfalk and Rose Cahalan

The four-year graduation rate at The University of Texas at Austin jumped 58.8 percent from 1983 to 2004.

According to the University’s statistical handbook, the four-year graduation rate improved from 32.8 percent in 1983 to 52.1 percent in 2004. Most remarkably, almost all of that improvement has happened since 1994.

The four-year graduation rate then was actually a touch lower than in 1984, at 32.4 percent. Calculating the improvement from 1994 to 2004 shows a 60.8 percent increase.

That’s just the four-year rate. The five-year and six-year rates have gotten better as well.

From 1983 to 2004, the five-year rate improved from 56.4 percent to 75.1 percent, a 33 percent change. The six-year rate increased 31 percent, from 61.7 percent in 1983 to 81 percent in 2004, the most recent year we have accurate data for both four- and six-year rates.

While those are steady improvements, President Bill Powers, former regents chairman Charles Miller, and members of the UT Board of Regents have said UT-Austin in particular needs to get better.

Last week, President Powers announced the formation of a new task force on graduation rates, to be chaired by Randy Diehl, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

And the School of Undergraduate Studies is already implementing several efforts to boost graduation rates.

Tags: bill powers, charles miller, ut graduation rates, ut regents