The University of Mary Washington ranked fourth in the nation among public master’s universities for its graduation rate, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education analysis of federal data through 2008.
UMW had a graduation rate of 77 percent, up a noteworthy six points between 2003 and 2008. College of New Jersey ranked first among public master’s universities, with an 85 percent graduation rate.
Among public research universities, the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary rank one and two in the nation.
The graduation rate measures the share of first-time, full-time students entering in the fall seeking bachelor’s degrees and finishing their degrees within six years. The Chronicle analysis of nearly 1,400 four-year public and private nonprofit institutions compared graduation rates for the six years ending in 2008—the most recent period for which comprehensive data is available—against rates from the five years earlier.
The analysis found that 35 percent of the colleges reported lower graduation rates for the six-year period ending in 2008 than for the one ending in 2003. But most institutions saw at least modestly higher rates between 2003 and 2008.
The Chronicle examined only institutions classified as research, master’s or Baccalaureate Colleges—Arts & Sciences by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2005.
Mary Washington has been recognized as having the third highest graduation rate among “very competitive” Southern schools, according to a national survey, “Diplomas and Dropouts,” conducted by the American Enterprise Institute in June 2009. In addition, U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” recognized UMW for having the second highest graduation rate among regional universities in the South.