The rate of minority students graduating in six years is on the rise at the University of Wisconsin, corresponding to an overall increase in graduation rates.

Underrepresented minority freshmen that entered UW in 1999 had a six-year graduation rate of 54.8 percent, compared to the freshmen entering in 2003, who had a six-year graduation of 66.1 percent.

Though disproportionate, these statistics correlate with an overall rise in graduation rates at UW. For all freshmen entering UW in 1999, the six-year graduation rate was 78.3 percent, and in 2003, the rate was 82.1 percent.

According to records from the Office of the Provost, Academic Planning and Analysis, students in the targeted minority groups include black, Native American, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian students.

While the number of minority freshmen increased from 363 in 1999 to 419 in 2003, the number of overall freshmen who were followed for the total graduation rate fell from 5,671 in 1999 to 5,578 in 2003, according to the records.

The freshmen retention rate of minority students for the first year decreased from 93.1 percent in 2007 to 90.8 percent in 2008.

There are a number of programs on campus that aim to foster a climate of diversity, said Assistant Vice Chancellor Ruby Paredes.

While Paredes is not sure if the programs directly contribute to the increased minority graduation rate, she said such programs do benefit campus.

“It’s hard to identify if [the programs] are the factors responsible,” Paredes said.

The programs, including the Multicultural Student Coalition, include students of all backgrounds.

The dialogues the groups create are not only about race and ethnicity, but about aspects of the differences in the human experience, Paredes said.

UW is not the only campus in the system with an increasing graduating rate for minority students.

UW-La Crosse had 52 percent of their minority students who entered the university in 2003 graduate in six years, which was a significant increase from 36 percent of minority students who entered as freshmen in 2002, according to Carmen Wilson, the affirmative action officer at UW-La Crosse.

Wilson noted while graduation rates have dramatically increased for minority students, there has also been an increase in overall graduation rates at UW-La Crosse.

The overall six-year graduation rate for freshmen entering in 2003, according to Wilson, was 70 percent.

“[UW-La Crosse] is significantly above average for other schools like us across the nation,” Wilson said.

Guy Wolf, academic financial specialist at the UW-La Crosse Office of Multicultural Services, said one of the major reasons all students do not complete their degree in higher education is because they simply cannot pay for school.

Wolf works with all students who come through his doors to find money-saving options, including food stamps and subsidized housing.

He said working with students to make sure they know all their financial aid options is key to retention for all students, not just those from unrepresented minority groups.