Retention rates high for U of M

A recent study released shows that U of M heading retention rates

Joanna Bhaskaran, staff

A 2007 report, entitled the Early Leavers Survey, conducted by the Council on Post-Secondary Education, Employment Canada, and Manitoban universities and colleges, reported that 40 per cent of people who had, at one point, left university early were at the time of the survey were once again attending post-secondary education. Two-thirds of those post-secondary institutions were in Manitoba.

Meanwhile, a study by the G-13 Data Exchange program on graduation retention rates, a combined project between thirteen research intensive universities across Canada, revealed that the highest retention rate among the partner universities was around 87 per cent. Meanwhile, the retention rate for the University of Manitoba, in comparison, was around 80 per cent.

Robert Kerr, vice-president of academic affairs and provost, was quite pleased by the results of the study.

“I believe the University of Manitoba takes a great interest in promoting student success. Programs like University 1 offer more flexibility for students and at the same time make sure that they are performing well.”

More than two-thirds of the students who enter university are torn between two options or really don’t know what they want to do, Kerr said, the flexible structure of the degree at the University of Manitoba is the key to academic success. University 1 ensures that students are given the ability to explore options before they choose their target faculty, unlike other universities, which might explain why more students choose to stay put at the U of M.

“Part of the reason that we don’t agree with some studies done by Macleans is that they fail to see the bigger picture. The study based on undergraduate entrance grades didn’t see us score too high, but obviously they fare better at the University of Manitoba and go on to become successful graduates in their field,” said Kerr.

Affordability is probably one of the key factors in determining student retention rates. The cost of living and tuition fees in Winnipeg are considerably lower when compared to other provinces like Ontario and British Columbia.

The University of Manitoba’s Office of Institional Analysis released the statistics collected on full-time student outcomes using students who started their program of study between September 2004 and April 2005.The faculty of engineering had 92.9 per cent of students continue in the program, one of the highest, followed closely by the Agricultural diploma program at 91.8 per cent. The faculty of science and the faculty of arts had continuance rates of 91.5 and 90.8 per cent respectively. 60.6 per cent of students chose to continue their studies in University One.

Second-entry programs had even higher continuance rates with the Dentistry, Medicine and Agricultural programs averaging about 97 per cent. The Asper School of Business saw about 92 per cent of its students staying on, while the Faculty of Law saw only around 78 per cent.

“The retention numbers that we have are quite high when compared to the percentages released by the G-13 study, however it must also be remembered that transferring out of the University of Manitoba into other universities in the province is much easier than in other provinces. So when students leave the university they have not necessarily left post-secondary education, but are continuing their degree somewhere else, so in actual fact the real retention rate of the University of Manitoba could be much higher than 80 per cent.” said Kerr.