Fewer UofA freshmen are dropping out

Background: Chancellor Charles Robinson has said his top priorities include making the university more affordable for students from low-income families so that they are more likely to stay.

• College students are most likely to drop out in their first year, often because of financial stress, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Details: Accelerate Student Achievement, a program designed to help first-generation college students from Arkansas by getting them on campus early, saw a record retention rate of 97.5%.

• All students in the program are eligible for Pell grants — federal assistance for students who "display exceptional financial need."
• Retention rates among Black students increased most, jumping from 86.8% to 91.4%.