U.S. News and World Report Ranks Bay Path Among Best Social Mobility Colleges
Longmeadow, MA— U.S. News and World Report has recognized Bay Path University as one of the top performers of advancing social mobility in the Regional Universities North area category. Social mobility ranks colleges on their ability to enroll and graduate large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded Pell Grants, which are grants awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.00. Most Pell Grant money is awarded to students with a total family income of below $20,000.00. These students are far less likely than other students to finish college.
“As a first generation college student myself, I understand the barriers that prevent access to education,” Bay Path President Dr. Carol A. Leary shared. “It is of critical importance that we not only tell these students that a college education is possible, but that we give them the tools, resources, and support they need to make earning a college degree a reality.”
More than 96% of accepted full-time qualifying residential undergraduate students at Bay Path receive some type of financial aid assistance, and in addition to scholarships, grants, and merit-based awards, the university also offers student employment opportunities, paid internships, and has replaced many expensive course textbooks with free online resources.
Perhaps more important is the one-on-one advising that is built into each student’s academic plan. Every first year student is assigned a career coach who works with the student to create a pathway to success, and professors and coaches use an early alert system if they feel students are at risk for not completing their degree program. Two years ago the Finish Line Fund was created to support students who were close to graduating, but need financial assistance to cross the finish line to graduation.
To obtain these rankings, U.S. News and World Reports calculated two-year averages of fall 2011 and fall 2012 entering cohorts, computing Pell Grant graduation rates and Pell Grant graduation rate performance, which compares the graduation rate between Pell recipients and non-Pell recipients.
Bay Path University empowers undergraduate women and graduate women and men to become leaders in their careers and communities with an innovative approach to learning that prepares students to flourish in a constantly changing world. Information about Bay Path University and its degree programs is available online at https://www.baypath.edu.