New online tool compares Merced colleges to other schools

A new scoring system unveiled by the White House to help college-seekers and their parents compare schools finds UC Merced ranks as similar to other Central Valley schools in retaining students and keeping them on track to graduate, but falls short when put up against other University of California campuses.

According to figures reported on collegescorecard.ed.gov, 84 percent of UC Merced students remain enrolled after their first year and 57 percent earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Both of those numbers are above the national average.

California State University, Stanislaus, showed similar numbers, retaining 87 percent of students and graduating 50 percent, while Fresno State’s numbers were 83 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

UC Merced, which opened in 2005, fell short of numbers posted by other UC campuses, with seven of those schools graduating at least 81 percent of their students within six years. UC Santa Cruz’s graduation rate was 74 percent, while UC Riverside’s was 66 percent.

Charles Nies, UC Merced’s interim vice chancellor for student affairs, said UC Merced has a significantly larger population of first-generation college students from low-income families. Those factors can work against students trying to finish school in a timely manner, he said.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is help students who historically had a more difficult time transitioning into the university experience,” he said. “(We want to) make that transition easier and increase those graduation rates.”

The Merced campus recently received a grant for a program meant to support second-year students and keep them in school.

UC Merced graduates also face a higher amount of debt on average than most in the UC system. UC Merced graduates leave school with an average of $19,559 in federal loan debt, surpassed only by UC Santa Cruz.

Nies said students at UC Merced, where 60 percent come from low-income families, are more likely to need loans to make ends meet.

Numbers for how much UC Merced graduates make after being employed were not available on the scorecard. Nies said the university does track that, but that the school is still too young for accurate numbers.

Merced College’s numbers are in line with or better than other community colleges in the region. With a cost to attend on average of $3,034 per semester, Merced College students pay less than Fresno City College students and half what Modesto Junior College students spend.

Students at three of those junior colleges have similar graduation rates, which fall at less than 30 percent. The national average is 44 percent. Merced and Modesto rank above the national average in retention rates.

Susan Walsh, interim vice president of instruction at Merced College, has said the college is focusing on keeping students progressing toward degrees.

White House officials said the scorecard may allow students and parents to compare schools based on measurements that are important to them. Using the website, for example, a student might search for schools with average annual costs of less than $10,000, a graduation rate higher than 75 percent and average salaries after graduation of more than $50,000 per year.

“You’ll be able to see how much each school’s graduates earn, how much debt they graduate with, and what percentage of a school’s students can pay back their loans – which will help all of us see which schools do the best job of preparing America for success,” President Barack Obama said in his weekly address.

Administration officials said the data that power the scorecard were also being shared with companies and other organizations that offer online college search tools.

Officials said they hoped the information would help students avoid making poor choices when deciding where to attend college.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 7:41 PM with the headline "New online tool compares Merced colleges to other schools."