University of Oklahoma confers record number of degrees during 2011-2012 academic year

That is more than any other university in the history of the state, according to Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education data.

OU's six-year graduation rate stands at 68 percent, the highest of any public college or university in the state.

“OU is proud to help Oklahoma make history in increasing the number of college graduates in our state and to help advance the governor's goal of more college graduates in Oklahoma,” OU President David L. Boren said. “As we increase the number of graduates, we also help to create more jobs and raise per capita income.”

The announcement comes on the heels of news from the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education that the state had surpassed its degree completion goals during the 2011-2012 academic year.

At a state regents meeting last week, officials announced public colleges and universities in Oklahoma had more than 1,900 more graduates that year than during the previous year. That tops the system's goal of 1,700 new graduates set by system Chancellor Glen Johnson and Gov. Mary Fallin.

Johnson and Fallin have made college completion a high priority in recent years, setting a statewide goal of an additional 20,400 degrees and certificates awarded in Oklahoma over the next 12 years.