For some, the best way to deal with the demands of college life, whether as a result of exams or just the daily grind of the school year, is to leave UNC. Despite the negative connotation normally associated with dropping out of college, some University officials said it can be the right option for students in certain situations.
But officials said they are working to keep students in school as long as it is beneficial to them, and statistics indicate those efforts might be working.
Officials described UNC as having one of the best retention rates in the country. The freshman retention rate is 94.8 percent, and 78.9 percent of students graduate within six years, according to the Office of Institutional Records.
According to U.S. News & World Report, UNC's six-year graduation rate is almost identical to the retention rates at top-tier public universities, such as the University of Virginia and the University of California-Berkeley.
Carolyn Cannon, associate dean of academic advising, said few students withdraw from UNC, and those who do usually are motivated by personal reasons, often because an immediate family member is seriously ill.
Students who choose to leave the University often choose to pursue alternatives such as service programs or job opportunities. Other students return to UNC as part-time students or participants in programs such as distance learning.
Despite UNC's relatively high retention rate, Sue Kitchen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said she believes there are three major reasons that students drop out of college, all of which hold true nationwide. "One of the reasons students don't persist is because they don't have clear educational goals," she said.
Students also might leave a particular university because they need some time to decide what they want to do and find that the college they have chosen does not offer a relevant major.
Kitchen said UNC has a good retention rate partially because of the University's broad academic offerings and its ability to have a double major and to tailor educational plans.