“I think that four-year graduation rate is critical,” Negron said.
But an annual accountability report, approved by the Board of Governors on Thursday, shows that only four schools — the University of Florida, Florida State University, New College of Florida and the University of South Florida — met that 50 percent goal in the four-year cohort of students who graduated last year.
The system-wide average was 47 percent, including students who transferred to other universities and finished their degrees. The average was 45 percent for students who stayed at one school.
The averages ranged from 67 percent at the University of Florida to 18 percent of Florida A&M University students who graduated last year.
But the report also showed improvement for schools below the 50 percent benchmark. FAMU has improved from a 12 percent rate in the 2011-12 academic year to 18 percent last year. The University of South Florida showed the most dramatic gain, rising from 38 percent in 2012 to 51 percent last year.
