Jackson State University is embracing the Mississippi Finish in 4 campaign that shows students the advantages of graduating within four years.
Keeping students on track is important to JSU, as the school continues its record-breaking enrollment gains. Jackson State’s freshman class, the largest in the university’s history, has 1,202 students.
Currently, only 48 percent of Mississippi students complete a bachelor’s degree on time, according to the Finish in 4 campaign. Dragging out the time increases expenses. For example, if a student pays $44,052 in tuition, room and board for four years, that figure can balloon to $88,104 after eight years. Even one additional year can cost a student more than $50,000 – counting extra tuition and hidden costs such as lost wages and related costs.
In Mississippi, it takes an average of 15.5 credits per semester to graduate. Students should develop a plan to graduate on time by meeting with the assigned academic adviser each semester to stay on track; mapping out all the courses needed to complete each semester; and taking required courses during the first two semesters.
Jackson State has 9,508 students enrolled at the university this fall, according to the Institutions of Higher Learning. That is a 4.1 percent increase from last year, continuing the university’s three-year upward trend. JSU’s enrollment has grown 6.6 percent over the past three years.
Overall, enrollment at Mississippi’s public universities grew 1.1 percent.
For more on the Finish in 4 campaign, see: https://riseupms.com/finishin4/
The Mississippi Finish in 4 campaign is sponsored by the College Knowledge Project – a college access initiative of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, and funded by the College Access Challenge Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Education. This effort is based on the 15 to Finish campaign developed by the Hawaii Graduation Initiative of the University of Hawaii.