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Iowa universities to graduate thousands this weekend
All 3 campuses report slightly smaller fall graduating classes
Dec. 16, 2023 5:30 am
IOWA CITY — Although only a fraction of the students who graduate from Iowa’s public universities do so in December rather than the more traditional spring, campuses this weekend will celebrate thousands participating in fall commencements.
They include an Iowa State University undergraduate diagnosed with a rare genetic disease shortly after starting classes; a non-traditional adult learner at the University of Northern Iowa who after earning his master’s in postsecondary education plans to work in UNI’s Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice Department; and a University of Iowa doctoral candidate who defended her dissertation three days before giving birth to her second child.
“The final seven months of my Ph.D. were the most intense,” student Prarthana Parepalli said. “I was pregnant with my second baby and tending to a super energetic toddler, while also ramping up my research to complete my dissertation before the delivery.”
All three Iowa universities are reporting slightly smaller fall graduating cohorts this year than last — with 1,692 UI undergrad, graduate and professional degree applicants, down from 1,829; 1,809 ISU applicants, down from nearly 2,100; and 642 at UNI, down from nearly 800.
Those dips could be tied, in part, to enrollment losses four falls ago in 2020 — when COVID-19 crippled the campus’ ability to offer traditional college experiences, dropping the universities’ collective fall enrollment to 71,665 from 75,030 the year before.
Enrollment hasn’t recovered, with the regents this fall reporting a combined 69,240 students across its universities — making strong retention and graduation rates ever more imperative.
Graduation rates
All three campuses report getting students across the stage with a diploma in hand — regardless of whether they do it in the fall or spring — is a key metric in their strategic plans.
“Our first-year retention and four-year graduation rates are at all-time highs,” according to a UI strategic plan update last month to the Board of Regents.
“And we continue to focus on decreasing retention and graduation gaps for first-generation and underrepresented minority students,” as that population of students continues to grow — with nearly 18 percent of all regent students identifying as a racial or ethnic minority this fall, up from 11 percent a decade ago.
The board’s most recent 2023 graduation- and retention-rate report shows the percent of UI undergrads graduating in four years topped 58 percent, up from 40 percent in 2000. ISU’s four-year graduation rate has reached 56 percent, up from 31 percent in 2000; and UNI’s four-year rate is up to 47 percent, from 34 percent.
Graduation rates within six years are higher on two campuses, reaching 74 percent for both the UI and ISU, up from 66 percent for both in 2000. UNI has seen its six-year graduation rate dip slightly over that span from 67 percent in 2000 to 64 percent now.
UNI, however, has seen its three-year graduation rate spike recently from about 4 percent in 2016 to 8 percent. And, collectively, Iowa’s public universities boast better six-year graduation rates than the national average and neighbors like Illinois, Nebraska and Michigan.
The regent university rates collectively are lower for underrepresented minorities than for students identifying as white — with 58 percent of white students graduating in four years and 46 percent of minorities doing so.
Non-traditional students
But those rates are climbing, including with this winter’s commencement class — as 20 percent of the UI contingent identifies as a minority and 28 percent identifies as first in their family to attend college. Both those percentages are up over last winter’s 18 percent and 23 percent, respectively.
About 16 percent of ISU’s winter graduates identify as a minority and 23 percent identify as first-generation. And this crop of graduates includes plenty of non-traditional students — with the UI reporting its youngest degree applicant is 18 and its oldest is 72.
Parepalli — getting her doctorate in mechanical engineering — found herself in Iowa City in 2018 when her husband accepted a UI faculty position in biomedical engineering and radiology. Originally from Hyderabad, India, having recently earned a master’s from the University of Michigan-Dearborn before landing a job at Ford, Parepalli said she held initial reservations about Iowa City.
“But after coming here, I was really surprised by how close-knit the community is,” she said in a question-and-answer with the UI Office of Strategic Communication. “Everything is so accessible, including excellent health care. I am very fortunate to have delivered both my children at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.”
She defended her dissertation a month before her second baby’s due date — but three days later, she found herself in an emergency delivery due to complications.
“I was fortunate to have a healthy baby, and — with some recovery — a healthy me.”
ISU graduating senior Jacob Lowe also didn’t have the exact academic experience he expected when he followed two of his sisters to Ames from his hometown of Dysart. Within days of beginning classes, Lowe was diagnosed with limb girdle dystrophy — a genetic disease causing muscle weakness in the arms and legs.
“I have a progressive disease,” he said. “Every day can be a little bit more of a struggle than the last.”
Lowe now uses a cane or motorized bike to move around campus, and used his diagnosis as inspiration for his senior project: a folding electric platform trike for wheelchair users.
His disease also has gifted him more self compassion — as he leaves ISU, he hopes to find a hybrid or remote work arrangement allowing him to travel.
“Once I got the diagnosis, I was able to lighten up on myself and become more myself instead of not liking some aspects about me,” Lowe said. “It is what makes me, me.”
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
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