Towson University; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Frostburg State University were singled out yesterday in a national report highlighting U.S. colleges that graduate black students at about same rate as white students – bucking the so-called "minority achievement gap" that has long plagued American higher education.

At Towson, only 45 percent of black freshmen graduated within six years in 2001, compared with 65 percent of white students. By 2006, during a period of increased black enrollment, the gap had been entirely eliminated, with both black and white students achieving a graduation rate of about 65 percent.

Towson officials attribute the change to lowering emphasis on SAT scores in college admissions, and putting more weight on high school preparation.

Nationally, black students in a given college tend to graduate at significantly lower rates than their white peers, according to the report published by Education Sector, a Washington think tank. African American students are also more likely to attend colleges with below-average graduation rates in general, the report said.

Other colleges that substantially improved the graduation rates of black students were Florida State University and Northeastern University. Among the campuses with the largest minority achievement gaps were the flagship campuses of the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Colorado.

Education Sector researchers say the success at Florida State and Towson defies the "prevailing wisdom that low minority college graduation rates are regrettable but unavoidable." Among their policy recommendations is improved need-based financial aid and linking education funding to graduation rates, and not merely to enrollment.