Fewer than half of first-time students graduate within six years at most Mississippi’s colleges and universities.
Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi stand among exceptions according to a recently released college scorecard by the U.S Department of Education.
The factual data is alarming; if less than 50 manage to graduate out of 100 admissions, we are facing a grim future.
The businesses who underline a bachelor’s degree as the minimum requirement for a job are constantly increasing. With a poor graduation rate to its name, the state of Mississippi will be battling an additional challenge with the economy if this continues.
College graduates are a major chunk of the tax-payee population; if the above figures continue to increase it will mean harnessing the growth of the state. 
Dan Coleman, director of student recruitment at MSU said, “These figures disturb me but we offer a variety of excellent scholarships and financial aid opportunities for students from all backgrounds. We are committed to giving the best we can. I was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs to pay off our expenses so I know what it means when the expenditure is increasing and the income is limited,” he said.
At the pace in which the world is moving in the 21st century, education has become a priority in the basics for a good life.
Changing these alarming figures will require strong political will from our politicians in Jackson.
Something must be done, and the time to do it is now. The implications of fewer graduates will result adversely to the economy and the society.
The Clarion Ledger reported that Mississippi’s community colleges success rate is higher than that of the United States. But are we giving enough?
 If the educators, faculty and the college administration continue to foster and build students to graduate college, the legislators should back them by good governance.
Will the state act? Will the federal government be of any assistance? Will the students who want to go to college be provided with financial assistance?
Education can be a complex issue with multiple faces: There is difficulty to find an immediate convict for the low graduation rates. Who should be held responsible?
Are the educators at the colleges and universities with low graduation rates responsible or are the politicians in Jackson?
Can we shift the debate to the high interest rates or no subsidized student loans by the financial institutions as the talking point or are students who drop out of college responsible themselves?
Targeting one of the above factors may be easy but difficult to scrutinize and have a thorough analysis of the problem.
What is required is a collective measure including every aspect of the problem to come up with a plan to multiply and grow the number of graduates from the state of Mississippi.
The educators will need to come up with a plan of having the best faculty and administrators at the college. They could create policies supporting students.
A wide range of scholarships can be offered. If the student needs counseling that could prevent him from leaving school, he should have access to facilities on campus.
The politicians will need to play a major role in shaping the state’s education sector by having laws placed to support the student.
The state can increase its expenditure on education and offer additional financial support to the student.
The financial institutions who offer student loans must have a leeway for students in college. Lower interest rates and extended monetary period to start repaying loans can be helpful.
The policies such as required co-signer and loan amount limits can be reconsidered in some cases.
And finally, the student should act responsibly and push himself as he can to make two ends meet while in college.
Four years of hard work and a degree can be beneficial to the individual, the state and our nation simultaneously.
We cannot ignore these facts and leave them for future generations to solve; sustainability will suggest we achieve the building blocks of the 21st century sooner than later.