As Temple closes out the 10th year of its Fly in 4 Graduation Partnership this May, the program’s sixth cohort, the Class of 2024, is preparing to walk for graduation.
Since Jodi Levine-Laufgraben and other founding members started Fly in 4 in 2014, nearly 40,000 students have enrolled in the partnership. Students in the most recent cohort graduated at a 20% higher rate than students who did not participate.
Fly in 4 is an agreement between the university and students that keeps students on track with a four-year graduation plan to reduce financial burden and ensure accountability for both parties.
“We were very focused on a program that would really create a culture of Temple students committing to graduate in four years and keeping the cost of that education more affordable,” said Laufgraben, vice provost for academic affairs and senior advisor to the provost.
Students agree to meet annual checkpoints, while Temple agrees to provide a four-year plan, advising and alternatives when courses are unavailable. Checkpoints include meeting with an advisor every semester, registering for classes during priority registration, following a university-provided plan and completing 30 credits each year.
When students miss a checkpoint, they become inactive in the program and are no longer eligible for the agreement. Checkpoints are based on behaviors grounded in research of what students who succeed in college and graduate on time do, Laufgraben said.
“We know that meeting with an advisor regularly can help keep you on track,” Laufgraben said. “We know when you earn enough credits each year, 30 credits a year to advance in class standing, that those students are more likely to stay on track. We know that when you register during the priority registration period, you’re more likely to get the classes you need at the times that work for your learning style.”
The program also has a unique feature enticing to many students: if students meet all requirements and still are unable to graduate on time due to the unavailability of required courses, Temple will pay for the students’ remaining courses.
Students must file an appeal by filling out a form available in their TUportal to have their extra credits financially covered.
Each claim is reviewed by a committee that includes Laufgraben, an advising director and associate dean from a school or college the student is not enrolled in. They look at the student’s transcripts, academic progress, DARS and advising notes and will invite the advising center to provide any additional information. The student does not meet in person with the committee.
Students have only filed 21 appeals in the past 10 years and Temple has granted just four of those. No appeals have been filed yet for this year’s graduating class.
Seventeen appeals were denied for various reasons, like students repeating courses, withdrawing from courses and not following advisors’ guidance, Laufgraben said.
Temple will not pay for additional courses if the time needed to complete a degree is impacted by a student changing their major or failing, withdrawing from or repeating a course. The four courses that were paid for each involved an instance where a required course was unavailable to a student.
However, avoiding the appeals in the first place is part of the program’s design, Laufgraben said.
“It’s about reminding students what they need to do, and to make sure the university community is removing any hurdles or barriers that would prevent the student from graduating in four years,” Laufgraben said. “That’s why we could refer to the Fly in 4 agreement as an agreement between the student and Temple. It takes all of us to ensure that a student graduates on time.”
More students in Fly in 4 consistently graduate in four years compared to those not enrolled in the program.
Ninety-two percent of the Class of 2027 enrolled in Fly in 4, and 84% of that group is on track to graduate in four years compared to 81% of those not in the program, according to the 2023-24 Temple University Fact Book. Eighty-four percent of the Class of 2027 overall is also on track.
However, the highest four-year graduation rate of Fly in 4 cohorts that have already graduated is 62% in 2020. While the group graduated at a rate 10% higher than students not in Fly in 4, the 62% graduation rate matched the overall university rate.
Last year’s graduating class in Fly in 4 had a 59% four-year graduation rate compared to 38% for those not in Fly in 4 and 57% for the university overall.
Despite its promising statistics, some students have found challenges in keeping up with the required checkpoints.
Emma Halpin, a senior geology major, believes the university fails to stress the importance of the Fly in 4 program, leaving students like herself feeling disconnected.
“I started in the Fly in 4 program, and it’s just really easy to fall out of it, and they don’t put a lot of emphasis on it,” Halpin said. “I would never go to advising appointments because I forgot about them.”
Halpin became inactive in the program after failing to attend her check-ins.
Nearly a third of those enrolled in Fly in 4 miss requirements and become inactive in the program after one year on average, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. Only 68% meet requirements after two years and 46% after three years.
Nearly 100% of Fly in 4 students who meet their checkpoints are still on track to graduate by their junior year, Laufgraben said.
While the program emphasizes a partnership between the university and its students, some feel there could be better communication between the two, especially given the high load of responsibilities students often juggle.
“We’re all very busy, and like checking your email, I know that’s a part of college, but I need to get better at it,” said Michaela Garrett, a freshman psychology major. “I lowkey don’t be seeing Fly in 4 things until someone else mentions it. So I wish that it was like a text alert because I’m on my phone more than I check my email.”
Fly in 4 sends multiple email reminders for students to meet required checkpoints. Students will receive emails encouraging priority registration as the date approaches, reminding them to meet with an advisor before the semester ends and suggesting summer courses if students don’t meet their 30-credit-a-year threshold.
Advisors also play a role in reminding students of the program. Bringing Fly in 4 up isn’t necessarily required for advisors, but it regularly comes up in meetings, said Lisa-Marie Price, an academic advisor for the College of Engineering.
Laufgraben is considering offering text notifications to students in the program during the next year and encourages student feedback to increase the program’s reach, she said.
Fly in 4 introduced a social media presence in Fall 2023 with @templeflyin4 on Instagram and hired Fly in 4 student ambassadors to help boost engagement on social media, during events like TempleFest and within the program in general.
While the program wasn’t introduced as a recruitment tactic, Temple prioritizes promoting Fly in 4 to prospective and incoming students through various channels, like open houses, orientation sessions and Temple Fest.
“Obviously, we know students select colleges for an array of reasons, but I’d like to hope it helps us since it does differentiate us from other schools,” Laufgraben said.
Temple is one of the only schools in Pennsylvania with a program like Fly in 4. The university took inspiration from similar programs like Finish in 4 at University at Buffalo and University of Minnesota’s free credit program.
Signing up for the program is part of new student onboarding, seen in the Next Steps channel on TU Portal and highly promoted by Owl Team Leaders.
Still, students are split 50/50 in knowing about Fly in 4 when they first meet with advisors, Price said.
“A lot of it has to do with the orientation piece,” Price said. “If students come in through the in-person, I feel like they’re a little bit more prepared, but then, when we have the virtual orientations, those are usually the students I hear from that don’t quite understand and need us to explain it, which we’re happy to do so.”
Incoming freshmen are eligible for the program and transfer students can also opt in if their credits from previous institutions and remaining requirements at Temple allow them to graduate in four consecutive total years.
New students meet with an advisor to determine their eligibility and set up an academic plan from there.
Select students are also eligible for a Fly in 4 grant. Up to 500 grants of $4,000 per academic year are given to students in the next cohort who demonstrate significant financial need.
To qualify for the grant, a student must have completed their FAFSA and meet the requirements for the Pell Grant. Recipients of the Fly in 4 grant must continue to complete all check-ins, maintain satisfactory academic performance, fulfill all FAFSA obligations by Feb. 1, continue to have a documented financial need and remain enrolled as full-time students.
Individuals who have a grant tend to be more consistent in meeting checkpoints compared to those without one, Laufgraben said.
Students lose the grant if they miss a Fly in 4 checkpoint, miss a FAFSA filing deadline, no longer have financial need or don’t meet satisfactory academic progress requirements.
“If you don’t meet one requirement, you’re out of it immediately,” Halpin said. “And I don’t receive the Fly in 4 grant or anything like that, so, it never was really super important to me.”
The program had its lowest enrollment rate at 83% in 2022, decreasing 6% from when it was first introduced and 11% from 2018, which Laufgraben said was likely influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual orientations.
However, Fly in 4 rebuilt its enrollment rate up to 92% for the Fall 2023 cohort with a return to in-person activities and increased engagement efforts.
“We were very focused on that: a program that would really create a culture of Temple students committing to graduate in four years and keeping the cost of that education more affordable,” Laufgraben said.
CORRECTIONS:
A previous version of this story misstated the eligibility requirements for the Fly in 4 grant and the factors that would contribute to a student losing the grant.
These changes are now reflected in the story’s updated version.
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