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Education

Which Atlanta school is pushing early college completion to tackle student debt?

April 17, 2017, Atlanta, Georgia - Pierre Agudze, a student at Clark Atlanta University, takes notes during his calculus class at school in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 17, 2017. Clark Atlanta has the highest student debt in the state at around $40,000 and recently started a program called Finish in Four, which encourages students to take more credits in order to graduate on time and with less debt. (HENRY TAYLOR / HENRY.TAYLOR@AJC.COM)
April 17, 2017, Atlanta, Georgia - Pierre Agudze, a student at Clark Atlanta University, takes notes during his calculus class at school in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 17, 2017. Clark Atlanta has the highest student debt in the state at around $40,000 and recently started a program called Finish in Four, which encourages students to take more credits in order to graduate on time and with less debt. (HENRY TAYLOR / HENRY.TAYLOR@AJC.COM)
By
April 24, 2017

Clark Atlanta University officials saw a problem.

Many students were graduating with mountains of student debt. One group of researchers last year estimated the average amount of debt for Clark Atlanta students at nearly $41,000, the highest of any school they surveyed in Georgia.

College of Coastal Georgia student Vieira Owens talks about the potential impact of tuition increases next school year for herself and classmates.

The private university, near downtown Atlanta, last year became one of an increasing number of schools to create an effort to encourage students to graduate sooner, with less debt.

The program pushes students to take at least 15 credit hours a semester. The average Georgia undergraduate student takes about 12 credit hours a semester, according to a recent state audit.

“I believe institutions of higher education have an obligation that we do not let students leave us with more debt,” said Peter Nwosu, Clark Atlanta’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Clark Atlanta officials believe the effort is already working. About two-thirds of Clark Atlanta students are currently taking at least 15 credit hours a semester, Nwosu said.

CAU freshman Pierre-Julien Agudze, 18, joined the program after watching videos about it. He's paying for school, largely through loans, and is worried about the cost.

“It is a lot of money that I have to pay back,” said Aguzde, born in France and raised in Philadelphia.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution took a look at college affordability and student debt after the Georgia Board of Regents voted last week to increase tuition by 2 percent for the upcoming school year. To read more, click here.

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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