A regional higher education organization has rated Bemidji State University one of Minnesota’s most-effective universities at guiding incoming students through to graduation.

The Midwestern Higher Education Compact report ranked Bemidji State highest among the seven state universities in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system based on how many students it graduates compared with an expected graduation rate for its student population.

Bemidji State ranked second among Minnesota state universities in the compact’s efficiency score, which compares a school’s effectiveness score to institutional spending per student.

Both measures indicate that institutional practices at BSU foster student success, said Dr. Martin Tadlock, BSU’s provost and vice president of academic affairs.

“I believe the study reflects positively on our faculty and staff who work very well with students who come from all types of backgrounds and who represent a wide range of college preparation and readiness,” Tadlock said. “Places like Bemidji State University continue to serve as a steward of place where public education enhances the quality of life in the region while providing access to people traditionally underserved by private providers.

“Access, high expectations and a constant striving for excellence in our academic programming and in our student support services is transformative. In other words, we take students where they are and we help them excel.”

Bemidji State earned a 1.71 score for effectiveness and 0.10 for efficiency in the compact’s report, compared to average scores of -3.56 for effectiveness and -0.14 in efficiency for colleges and universities in Minnesota. Negative effectiveness scores indicate actual graduation rates lower than the expected rate, while positive scores indicate graduation rates that exceed the expected rate. Negative efficiency scores correlate to high per-student expenditures with low graduation rates; positive efficiency scores indicate higher graduation rates with lower per-student expenditures.

About the Midwestern Higher Education Compact
The Minneapolis-based Midwestern Higher Education Compact, founded in 1991, is a non-profit regional organization established by compact statute to assist Midwestern states in advancing higher education through interstate cooperation and resource sharing. The compact serves Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.