CMU ‘in the middle’ in student retention with 76.1 percent of freshmen staying

About 900 freshmen who arrived on Central Michigan University’s campus this fall will statistically not return next year.

According to the Office of Institutional Research, CMU’s current freshman retention rate is 76.1 percent.

That puts Central in fourth place for student retention among public universities in the state of Michigan. Leading CMU are the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University.

“We’re well within the average. We’re solidly in the middle,” said David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services.

According to data from the Office of Institutional Research, out of the 3,864 freshman that entered CMU in the fall of 2008, 76 percent of them stayed — about 927 left.

“If we could keep 100 to 200 of those 900 students, it would really help both them and us,” Burdette said.

Getting them to stay

Shawn Wilson, director of student retention, said students leave for many various reasons.

“Students leave for two main reasons: a lack of connection to the institution or a sense of belonging, or their ability to pay,” Wilson said.

Burdette said other reasons include grades, significant others or just individual preferences.

He said need-based financial aid is at “the top of the list” of things the university can do to encourage students to stay. Burdette said the university also needs to play a greater role in students getting involved.

“We need to put more emphasis on need-based financial aid,” Burdette said. “We need to protect it in the budget. It’s an area in which we need to invest a larger amount.”

Burdette said orienting new students toward student groups or activities that fit their interests helps them bond to the university and makes them more likely to stay.

“If we see an issue, if the student is receptive, we can usually fix it,” Burdette said.