Already reeling from a financial crisis and mass layoffs, Chicago State University acknowledged Friday that its graduation rate had dropped to 11 percent.The public university, which has long been criticized for its strikingly low graduation rate, could now face increased scrutiny from lawmakers and accreditors. In recent years, the graduation rate ranged from 13 to 21 percent.
"There are so many different factors that impact graduation rates," new Chicago State President Thomas Calhoun Jr. said after a five-hour board meeting at the Far South Side campus, which serves about 4,500 mostly low-income and minority students. "Chicago State has to analyze our data and look for the factors so that we can be aware of what's contributing."
The graduation numbers show that of the 589 full time freshmen who started in 2009, only 11 percent — or about 65 students — graduated six years later in 2015. This year's figures have not yet been calculated, officials said.
CLICK FOR MORE
