Butler Starting 2-Year College

[Lurking Dog]

When Drake announced its 2-yr college, someone on this board asked if Drake was experiencing financial problems (my answer was yes). Not sure to what extent finances figured into Butler's decision.

www.cnn.com/2023/11/03/us/butler-university-debt-free-college-reaj/index.html

^ the cnn article also mentions a school in Minneapolis (?) doing the same thing.

[DFW HOYA]

This is a reflection of Butler facing two headwinds: a weakening application base and higher accept rates (91% early applicants, 82% overall) to fill the class.

Here's what a junior college essentially does:

1. Provides a base of students to transfer in as juniors, reducing pressure on incoming freshman applications to fill the class and improves accept rate.

2. Improves student-faculty ratio for lower level classes; presumably, fewer freshmen are admitted as some will follow as juniors.

3. If the students do not make it through, it's on the junior college and not against Butler's numbers it must report to the federal government on graduation rates.

Does it devalue the Butler name? It could, but schools don't take this step unless they need to.

[ValpoLB]

Valpo instituted a very similar program: Access College. 

Key entry criteria - 1st generation college student (neither parent went to college), HS diploma/GED w/ 2.0 GPA, economic (low income) qualifications apply.  

Associate degree.  Guaranteed admission to the full year program. 

Haven’t been able to determine if it’s debt free though. 

[BUDawg]

Butler has always had the University College
program. This was the first two years of the
general requirements before entering one of
the then five, now six, colleges as a junior.
With the number of fifth year seniors and
the number of transfers coming from other
schools, this makes it more palatable given
the cost of attending the institution. The
next step for Butler is growing the graduate
school programs. Grad transfers will be
the wave of the future for the Bulldogs.