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Freshmen Retention Rates Increase At West Virginia University

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia University says it's seen an increase in retention over last year.

Provost Maryanne Reed says preliminary figures indicate first-time freshmen retention is at least 3 percentage points higher than fall 2018. The retention rate is currently better than 79%.

Reed says that works out to the equivalent of about 161 more students returning and paying tuition. Reed told the Board of Governors last week that the increased retention rate keeps students on track for degrees and resulted in about $2.8 million more revenue for the university.

A university statement says that Reed told the board there have been efforts to improve retention, including more intensive outreach to freshmen who failed to register or indicated they planned to transfer.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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