Dr. Kevin Eagan is a University of California, Los Angeles, assistant professor in residence and director of its Cooperative Institutional Research Program.
Students at four-year, broad-access universities and MSIs often transfer to more academically selective colleges. For years, the federal government has measured graduation rates at four-year institutions based on first-time, full-time students who earn a degree from their first institution within six years, so many campuses could be negatively evaluated under the new ratings system. The Obama administration intends for the system to guide federal allocations for student loans and grants.
“If accountability teeth are applied, it could widen the gap between broad-access schools and the highly selective schools and impair students’ abilities to be successful,” says Dr. Kevin Eagan, a University of California, Los Angeles, assistant professor in residence and director of its Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). “The broad-access institutions already have few financial resources. This could perpetuate the lack of resources and further disadvantage the students.”
In December, the Education Department released its framework for a college ratings system aimed at evaluating higher education institutions based on metrics related to accessibility, affordability and outcomes so that students’ families can make more informed college choices. Performance outcomes are controversial facets of the framework because institutions with broad-access missions might be unfairly judged on seemingly rigid metrics, given the diverse populations they serve.
Currently, about 60 percent of freshmen at the least academically selective universities — public and private combined — are already considering lateral transfers. In contrast, only about 12 percent of freshmen at the most selective public institutions and 17 percent at the most selective private ones have expressed strong intent to transfer.
Historically, freshmen with such intentions tend to follow through on them, Eagan says.
These and other findings are part of UCLA’s annual CIRP Freshman Survey, which is being released today. Conducted last fall, the survey of incoming undergraduates at four-year colleges and universities nationally is part of the CIRP and is administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
