Study: many college students not ready

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - While more and more high school graduates pursue college degrees, many of those graduates are not fully prepared for college classes and need to take remedial courses, according to reports from the Indiana Commission on Higher Education.

According to the commission, about 31 percent those who graduated Indiana high schools in 2010 and went on to college had to take what the commission lists as “remedial” courses once they enrolled in public universities in the state. Many of those students have to take extra courses in both math and English.

Those who work with college students say universities have added programs, tutoring and special staff to help students keep up with their college coursework.

“I feel we have an obligation, if we bring in a student who’s right at that borderline of a 2.6 (grade point average), we owe that student all the services that they need to be able to succeed,” said John Beacon, Enrollment Management Vice President at Indiana State University.

Beacon said the university has several tools available to students who need help and also tests incoming freshmen for math skills in order to assign them any needed classes to help catch up.

To check how graduates of individual high schools fared in college, click here .