It is about to overhaul its academic plan and undergo evaluation by an advisory panel of outside experts sent in by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, she said. The panel will be unveiled later this month.
Widener University, which had a 52 percent rate, also cited its setting in Chester, a poor city with a low-performing school district.
"We are very concerned about how many of our students work," said Jo Allen, senior vice president and provost at Widener. "It's common in an urban area that if students need to work, they may drop back to part time."
Sister Francesca Onley, president of Holy Family University, emphasized pressures on working students, too. She said she hoped Obama's funding for improved graduation rates would be approved and used to help those students.
"Many students are working full-time and raising children while attending college. It's very difficult," said Sister Onley, whose school's rate was 58 percent but reports a higher one this year.
Widener's Allen cited another growing national trend called "swirling" - students attending three or four different colleges until they finish.
Widener, which said its rates in other recent years were higher, has improved orientation and added a staff/student mentor program to help students with lower GPAs, said Allen.
At Lincoln University, a historically black college, officials attributed the school's 38 percent rate to tougher academic standards and graduation requirements phased in over the last several years.
"There's been a consequent decrease [in graduation rate] as our student system begins to understand the academic standards," said Grant D. Venerable, vice president for academic affairs.
Philadelphia University called its 50 percent rate an "anomaly" with rates before and after ranging from 54 to 58 percent.
The university has also changed its first-year experience program and strengthened advising and student-support services, said Debbie Goldberg, a spokeswoman.
Temple University, which had a 60 percent rate, also said its numbers have been improving, to 65 percent for the freshman class of 2002. The school is aiming for 70 percent by 2014.
"We're bringing in stronger and stronger students, and that naturally is going to drive up our graduation rate," said William N. Black, senior vice provost for enrollment management.
At La Salle, which was tied for 10th place nationally in its category of competitive, administrators analyzed the performance of freshmen by courses.
In accounting, where large numbers of students were struggling, the school sent in student mentors, explained provost Richard Nigro.
"We're also very sensitive to how we assign faculty. We want to make sure our freshmen have the most talented faculty," said Nigro, who was pleased with the 74 percent rate but is striving for higher.
Gwynedd-Mercy, with a 77 percent rate, was fourth nationally in the competitive category. The school has a committee focused on retention and offers courses that focus on the freshman-year experience.
"Students also value the smaller class sizes, effective academic advising, tutoring, and counseling support," said spokeswoman Megan Gilmore.
Geri Hockfield Malandra, a senior vice president at the American Council on Education, praised the report and said the conversation must shift to why there are variations and what can be done.
A 2004 national study that looked at schools particularly successful at retaining students from lower-income families found commonalities, she said. They include special programs for at-risk students, accessible faculty, residential programs that keep the students active on campus, strong financial aid, and greater selectivity.
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