Parents
A newsletter for parents of Bethel University students
Did you Know?
Bethel Medallion Status=Good Value in Higher Ed.
When it comes to running a race—or graduating from college—it
pays to finish strong.
Recently, the College of Arts & Sciences at Bethel University became a “Medallion” school, the highest category of success when measured by graduation outcomes. In a model of quality comparison established by the Institute for Research and Higher Education (IRHE), Medallion schools are those where at least 75 percent of freshmen graduate within five years.
Medallion schools are an exclusive group. Only a few hundred of the nation’s 3,000+ colleges reach this status in the IRHE ranking system. Bethel is one of seven Medallion universities or colleges in Minnesota. According to the IRHE organization, “Medallion schools are a segment consisting of the nation’s most competitive institutions and students.”
Of the 643 freshmen who entered Bethel in the fall of 2001, 69 percent had graduated by 2005 (four years); 75 percent had graduated by 2006 (five years); and 76 percent had graduated by 2007 (within six years).
Medallion status is not an official award, but rather a benchmark the public can use to compare colleges. Designed in the late 1990s, the system has been refined by the IRHE in an effort to provide a more meaningful standard than rankings awarded by popular media.
“Contrary to popular opinion, most college students do not finish in four years,” says Dan Nelson, the president’s assistant for institutional research and planning at Bethel. “In fact, in Minnesota’s state-supported institutions, only 20 to 30 percent of students who entered in 2000 graduated in four years. Dropping out or extending college is costly, so Medallion schools are good values for students and parents.”