70 Percent Should Earn Degrees in Four Years
Just over half of University of Texas at Austin undergraduates earn their bachelor's degrees within four years. This rate has been increasing steadily for two decades — but can and should be higher. To that end, President Bill Powers has set a goal of graduating 70 percent of our students within four years and appointed the Task Force on Undergraduate Graduation Rates to develop strategies to achieve this goal.
The task force believes that by 2016 the university can reach this ambitious goal by enhancing the first-year and freshman orientation experience and by improving advising and student tracking. The task force has made more than 60 specific recommendations to get this accomplished.
GRADUATION RATES at the University of Texas at Austin have steadily increased over the past three decades.
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When students graduate in four years, they reach commencement sooner, begin their careers or graduate school sooner, and incur less debt. Their parents save money on tuition. The university gains additional capacity for new students. And the state develops well-educated citizens who can serve their communities and make immediate contributions to the economy.
By implementing the task force's recommendations and reaching our goal, The University of Texas at Austin will continue to fulfill its constitutional mandate as "a university of the first class for the people of Texas."
Students Speak Out About Task Force Experience
Shannon Allport, a senior biology and pre-medical student from Baytown, Texas, and Gilbert Ortega-Rivera, a senior English major from El Paso, Texas, discuss their role on the task force and the challenges students face in graduating at the end of four years.
Read the recommendations
News & Information
Report of the Task Force on Enrollment Strategy (2003) [PDF]
Report of the Task Force on Curricular Reform (2005) [PDF]
Report of the Second Task Force on Enrollment Strategy (2009) [PDF]
Chronicle of Higher Ed [http://bit.ly/xQFg46]
Associated Press/CBS News [http://bit.ly/xifUMI]
Texas Tribune [http://bit.ly/w06EPW]
Task Force Members
- Dr. Randy Diehl (Chair)
- Dean, College of Liberal Arts
- Ms. Shannon Allport
- Senior, Biology/Premed
- Dr. Charles Ramirez Berg
- Professor, Dept. of
Radio-Television-Film - Dr. Rowena Fong
- Professor, School of Social Work
- Dr. Robert Gilbert
- Professor, Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Beverly Hadaway
- Associate Professor, Dept. of Finance
- Dr. Brent Iverson
- Professor, Dept. Chair, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Mr. Gilberto Ortega-Rivera
- Senior, English
- Ms. Ilse Quijano
- Senior, Communication Studies/
Political Communication - Dr. Elizabeth Richmond-garza
- Associate Professor, Dept. of English
- Dr. Mary Steinhardt
- Professor, Dept. of Kinesiology and Health Education
- Mr. Fransisco J. Tamayo
- Senior, Accounting-
Professional Program - Dr. Philip Uri Treisman
- Professor, Dept. Of Mathematics
- Mr. Wesley Williams
- Senior, Government
Send comments and questions to Gary Susswein or David Ochsner.