For the second year in a row, six-year graduation rates have dropped at Iowa State.

The latest regents figures indicate 60 percent of ISU students graduate within six years, down from 63.6 percent.

A report on the graduation and retention rates at all three regent universities will be presented at the state Board of Regents meeting today in the Sun Room of the ISU Memorial Union.

The graduation rate at the University of Northern Iowa dropped 4 percent to 59.4 percent, and the University of Iowa’s rate increased 2.8 percent, to 62.7 percent.

All three still lag behind the national average.

The report states both ISU and Iowa have had six-year graduation rates below the average at comparable institutions in the U.S. during the past four years.

Phil Caffrey, ISU associate director of admissions, said universities measure graduation rates in six-year spans because it is 1 1/2 times the minimum amount of time expected for graduation — four years.

“Often times students leave the university for reasons we have no control over,” Caffrey said about why graduation rates have decreased in past years.

He cited financial matters as a reason many students stop attending school.

Caffrey called students who leave school temporarily to make enough money to attend again “stop-outs,” instead of “drop-outs.”

It’s nearly impossible to determine how many students who drop out will re-enroll at ISU or another college.

Because many students must work to put themselves through college, Caffrey said it may take students longer than six years to complete their degree programs.

Marriage, study abroad programs or a switch in majors can also delay graduation beyond six years.

Still, university officials admit the declining graduation rates are not healthy.

“The university is trying to identify the things we do have control over and do something about them,” Caffrey said.

Besides graduation rates, regents will also discuss enrollment projections for Iowa State.

Enrollment at ISU is expected to grow over the next eight years, and then decline during the following two years, according to a fall enrollment report.

Caffrey explained how these enrollment statistics were established.

“One thing they look at are demographics. For example, if we know there are 5,000 students projected to graduate from high school and we know Iowa State usually gets X percent of those students to enroll, we can project a certain number of students will attend ISU,” Caffrey said.

Officials caution that those numbers are mere projections with several variations.

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Percentage of students graduating within 6 years of enrolling.

1995 1996 Net

College rate rate change

Iowa State 63.6 60.0 -3.6

Northern Iowa 59.4 63.4 +2.8

Univ. of Iowa 62.7 58.9 -4.0