The University’s six-year graduation rates reached an all-time high for the third consecutive year, University administration announced Tuesday.
The graduation rate for students who enrolled in 2007 hit 69.1 percent, up from the previous year’s rate of 66.7 percent.
University Director of External Affairs Jason Droddy said the improved graduation rate, especially as it compares to similarly sized Southern schools, would benefit the University with regard to the LA GRAD Act.
The GRAD Act grants greater autonomy in setting tuition for universities achieving higher rates of graduation and success for students, Droddy said.
Last year’s graduating class was also the second-largest in the University’s history. At 6,093, the class was only bested by the graduating class of 2011-12, which totalled 6,251.
Droddy said changes made by former University Chancellor Michael Martin, the Board of Supervisors and University faculty to admission standards were responsible for the continual rise of graduation rates even as the size of graduating classes increases.
“We are still servicing the same amount of students, we’re just doing better at it,” Droddy said.
Since taking over at the University last year, LSU President F. King Alexander has emphasized the importance of improving graduation rates.
In a letter to the editor of The Daily Reveille in September, Alexander said the cooperation of the University, state and federal governments and students and their families would help more students graduate.
“You also have a responsibility to yourself, your families, and your fellow classmates to help them achieve this essential educational goal with lifelong benefits,” Alexander told students.