Volume 94 • Issue 7
October 31, 2025
FSUgatepost.com
Frights, camera, action!
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Right) Fashion Club President Aili Schiavoni, dressed as Spectra Vondergeist from “Monster High,” taking photos of Janae Johnson and Zora Nazzire, dressed as Mario and Luigi at the Fashion Club Halloween Party on Oct. 29.
Graduation rate continues to fall amidst retention efforts By Cole Johnson Staff Writer Despite achieving retention rates on par with pre-pandemic levels, graduation rates at Framingham State have declined. Framingham State’s first- to second-year retention rate for Fall 2025 was 74%, according to data from the Office of Institutional Research. This surpassed Fall 2024 by 3% and equaled the retention rate of Fall 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) most recently listed the average state university retention rate at 75% for 2023. However, the most recent 2018 cohort’s graduation rate was 48%, based on a report from the Office of Institutional Research. The 2017 cohort’s graduation rate was 50%. The most recent statewide graduation rate from the DHE’s
2017 cohort data was 56%. Graduation rates show the percentage of first-time, fulltime students who complete a degree in six years or less. Cohorts are named for the fall semester in which the students begin their first year. Lorretta Holloway, vice president of Student Success, said there doesn’t appear to be a correlation between higher retention rates and graduation rates at Framingham State. “We’ve worked very hard to raise our retention rate … but it’s not manifesting in our graduation rates,” she said. Holloway said she doesn’t expect retention rates to continue rising at the same pace. She added a major long-term goal of President Nancy Niemi for the University is 80% retention and persistence. She said, “You have to be aspirational. Some of these things will probably not happen until
after I retire, and there’ll be certain things that, even if we start [now], it will take some momentum to build.” Holloway identified the second-largest demographic of non-returning students as those leaving in their second year. Holloway said the Fall 2022 and 2023 cohorts had retention rates of 71% and 72%, respectively, but had second- to thirdyear persistence rates of 56% and 57%, respectively. “What you see overall in the research about second-year students is they don’t necessarily feel supported the way they were when they first came in. There’s a lack of purpose,” she said. Holloway said compared to the new excitement of being a freshman or the specialized courses and internships offered to upperclassmen, the experience of a second-year student See GRADUATION RATE Page 4
INSIDE: OP/ED 7 • SPORTS 9 • ARTS & FEATURES 11
News GPI pg. 2 STUDY ABROAD pg. 5
OP/ED BLACK EXPERIENCE pg. 7 SPOOPY SEASON pg. 8
Sports WOMEN’S SOCCER pg. 9 VOLLEYBALL pg. 10
Arts & Features FASHION CLUB pg. 11 PARAMNORMAL pg. 14
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Center) Cathryn Cooney stepping out to wave to fans in the stands at the women’s soccer team’s Senior Day game against Mass. Maritime on Oct. 25.