Following the increased enrollment over the past three years and the university’s decision to reset the tuition, Ashland University has had the highest freshman-to-sophomore class retention rate on record. 

80% of last fall’s freshmen have returned this fall semester to complete another year at AU.

Following the tuition decrease back in 2013, AU saw a significant increase in enrollment but after a few years of seeing low numbers in retention, the university’s faculty, staff and administration have implemented new actions that would keep these students at the university.

Director of the Center for Academic Support, Ron Mickler and AU provost Dr. Eun-Woo Chang, both agree that this record mark is a direct correlation of the administration’s focus on coordination and same page communication in creating ways for students to have a positive experience at the university. 

“Retention is a whole encompassing initiative, it is not just one specific department,” Mickler said.

Along with the tuition reset in 2013, the university also restructured academic advising, making it a more centralized unit. These changes in freshman advising proved to have a direct correlation to the increased retention rate.

From fall 2011 to fall 2015, there was a nine percent increase in retention. 

Besides restructuring the academic advising system, Dr. Chang said some other factors that led to this increase are the improved Freshman Success Seminar course offered to all incoming freshman as well the dedicated faculty and staff.

“I appreciate the people who were involved in this project in Academic Support,” Chang said. “They are so dedicated and so efficient. With this combination of having a great staff in that unit and the great faculty who are dedicated to their students, we are in good shape.”

Along with the increased rates from the freshman to sophomore class, the rate from sophomores to juniors is 88% and 94% for juniors to seniors. 

“Our goal is to have our retention in the 90th percentile,” Chang said. “We have to work on a lot of other details in order to make it there, but I am confident that we can do that in the next few years.”

The university’s current four-year graduation rate is 44% and is something Dr. Chang hopes to continue to improve upon over the next few years.

Mickler believes the key to maintaining these rates is continuing improve the working relationship with faculty and make sure they are aware of the resources Acadenuc Support provides so we are all on the same page.

“From the groundskeepers to the President’s office and everyone in between, everyone has a role when it comes to retaining students,” Mickler said.