11 Sep HU’s Retention Rate Up to Nearly 80%

This year, Huntington University saw its highest freshman-to-sophomore retention rate in more than a decade. Retention rose from 73% last year to the current 79.5%.

Two of the reasons: freezing tuition, and the university’s Loan Repayment Program.

To lessen the economic burden on students, the HU Board of Trustees voted in January to freeze tuition for the 2013-14 school year. The university also continues to offer its Loan Repayment Program which offers assistance to students with paying their loans after graduation.

With the Loan Repayment Program, if a graduate’s annual salary is below $20,000, the program will reimburse the graduate for the entire amount of their loan payments. As the graduate’s income grows to $36,000, the benefit is reduced proportionally.

Huntington piloted the program five years ago. Last year, it served nearly 40 percent of the undergraduate student body.