In-Person Experience For Students Credited For TTU’s Highest Graduation Rate

Tennessee Tech graduation rates hit a new high with over 60 percent of students earning a degree that enrolled in Fall 2016.

It is just a slight uptick from the 59.9 percent graduation rate measured last year. Provost Lori Bruce said she credits the student success to the university’s push for in-person classes.

“One of the things that we have really paid special attention to is making sure that our undergraduates are getting a great in-person experience,” Bruce said. “Most of our students want and need in-person experiences.”

Bruce said 96 percent of freshmen classes are in-person. Bruce said the university also focuses on downsizing “harder” classes that may create stumbling blocks for students. Bruce said courses such as math or chemistry have been restructured so students get a more personal experience.

“Our students are getting a lot of one-on-one attention from the professors, so that is really helping those students be successful,” Bruce said. “I think all of that is what is really driving that retention rate and graduation rates of students.”

Bruce said retention rates for first-year students also increased from about 73 percent to 79 percent. Bruce said this ranks the highest in the state for public universities.