Georgian Court University, Lakewood, is the recipient of a new federal grant, worth more than $1.9 million over a five-year period that will help the university expand academic support services and keep students on track for timely graduation. The award from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III grant program is part of the federal agency’s Strengthening Institutions efforts.

The Title III grant comes about a year after GCU landed a five-year, $1.4 million federal grant for TRIO-Student Support Services, which helps students who are first in their families to attend college and may have additional academic needs. 

Now, Title III funding will support Georgian Court’s Chart the Course to Graduation, an effort to strengthen retention of first-year students and improve overall college completion rates, especially among those who arrive on campus underprepared for college. 

“We established Chart the Course to help students needing non-credit skills development courses get back on track to graduating, and we know from experience that this approach makes a difference in their success,” university president Dr. Joseph R. Marbach said.

The grant awards $425,894 to GCU in the first year. Additional funding should come in future federal budget periods through 2021.

GCU’s Chart the Course to Graduation offers free three-credit courses during winter and summer sessions to qualified students, professional tutoring services in GCU’s math lab and new writing center, enhanced faculty advising to strengthen student success and additional peer mentoring.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the median time it took for 2008 bachelor’s degree recipients to earn their degree was 52 months. Forty-four percent of them completed a bachelor’s degree within 48 months of enrolling in college, and another 23 percent graduated within 49–60 months.

In December 2014, GCU launched Chart the Course to help students graduate on time. During the pilot program, 43 students took Introduction to Psychology, Contemporary Economics or U.S. History during the winter break at no charge. They also had the support of faculty advisors, success coaches, and peer tutors – in person and via Google Hangouts – while enrolled in the program.

The results were highly successful: Chart the Course participants had a retention rate of 86 percent. The retention rate for other students who qualified for Chart the Course, but chose not to participate, was 48 percent.

“Our continued efforts to improve retention are showing progress,” said GCU provost William J. Behre, one of the grant’s co-authors.