Hidden figures: Grad rates don’t reveal full equation for FAMU

The graduation data for first-time freshmen student who entered the nation's four-year colleges and universities in 2010 (the most recent cohort available), as compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics, shows some interesting data. By 2016, six years later, 60 percent of the class had graduated.  And, forty percent of the class had graduated in four-years.  When isolating just for public colleges/universities that rate had dropped to 53 percent and 35 percent.

In comparison, for the FAMU freshman class of 2010, 41 percent had graduated in six years, while only 12 percent had graduated in four years.     

Is this a bad this a thing? No, not really.  

In comparison, the numbers for FAMU look pretty bleak. 

However, while the raw numbers don’t lie, they can fib. 

They’re real, but can be real shady too.

When it comes to graduation rates comparisons the numbers can sometimes be glaringly stark. Yet they also can sometimes fail to reveal the full truth.  That’s the case with colleges like FAMU.

Graduation rates among Florida’s public universities (freshman class of 2012): 

University	6-year grad rate	4-year grad rate	% of Pell students
FAMU	51%	18%	71%
FAU	52%	26%	39%
FGCU	48%	22%	31%
FIU	58%	28%	51%
FSU	66%	83%	26%
UCF	73%	44%	32%
UWF	43%	22%	35%
UF	90%	68%	24%

The truth not unveiled by raw numbers is that FAMU educates more low income students than any other public institution in Florida. These are students who come from our most impoverished urban and rural neighborhoods and cities. 

FAMU students are:

·    Students with no one in their family to lean on for guidance.

·    Come from poor families who simply cannot afford the cost of higher education.

·    Typically have no relatives who attended college before, no one who’s walked the path before who are able to offer guidance and support.

·    Come from underfunded, under-resourced school districts that do the best with that they have, but not enough to ably prepare students for the rigors of pursuing a college degree. 

· Typically have to work 25 or more hours a week while attending college.

Also consider, the maximum Pell grant a student may receive annually ($6,095 for 2018-19) leaves a significant gap in between the cost of tuition and the full cost of attendance.

“When looking at these numbers, what we found was what we expected,” says Johnny Taylor, former President of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, “the biggest retention determinate for most HBCUs is financial. A lot of students have challenges trying to meet the economic requirements of attendance. Many drop out for a semester or longer to obtain the dollars necessary.”

The stunning contrast between the number of Pell grant recipients enrolled at FAMU verses Florida's other public universities invites an apples to oranges comparison in terms of graduation rates and academic outcomes.  Most educational experts know, including the BOG, that graduating students from low wealth families is difficult.  Even elite private colleges struggle to graduate less than 50 percent of the poor students they admit.    

Florida's heavy reliance on graduation and retention rates in its flawed performance based funding model without providing additional resources to those universities that  enroll the greatest number of Pell grant recipients is disingenuous.  

If Florida's educational, business, and political leaders believe that all Florida students, whether black or white deserve equal access to learning opportunities and the same learning outcomes, then they must prioritize addressing the inequitable funding gaps that compound academic achievement.  Doing this will create an environment where every Floridian can succeed.

Editors note:  This story first appeared on Rattler Nation on June 24, 2019.  Rather than go blank during the slow holiday season, we decided to rerun some stories while we work on an end-of-the year review.