Understanding Graduation Rates

A Look Across Institutions

Understanding Graduation Rates College selectivity tells part of the story. Hess, Schneider, Carey, Kelly, 2009

Understanding Graduation Rates College selectivity tells part of the story. Hess, Schneider, Carey, Kelly, 2009

What other variables are related to college graduation rates r Which schools have better graduation rates Lower percentage of part-time students Lower percentage of students receiving federal aid Lower the percent of minority students Fewer students living off campus Lower percent of total degrees that are associate degrees Understanding Graduation Rates r Which schools have better graduation rates 0.622Higher SAT/ACT average More selective the university Higher the cost for in- state students living on campus Higher the cost for out- of-state students living on campus Yu, Powell, Serwatka, 2009

Other Facts and Figures from Crossing the Finish Line When looking at an individual student High schools grades are the single best predictor of graduation rates (B- isn’t good enough) Other predictors include – gender (women higher graduation rate than men) – parental education (an advantage if you have college educated parents) – race (whites more likely to graduate) A strong predictor is the school the student selects to go to – more rigorous/demanding schools and 4-year institutions better than community colleges or open admission schools – schools where students live on campus – schools with honors programs and learning communities do better Bowen & McPherson, 2009 Understanding Graduation Rates

What other variables are related to UNF graduation rates Understanding Graduation Rates Of the 873 (49.2%) students who graduated within 6 years, how many Of 91 (5%) students who did not graduate but were still enrolled after 6 years, how many Of 812 (45.7%) students who left before 6 years without graduating, how many Of the 1,776 students who were FTICs in Fall 2001 FTICs, how many %N%N%N%N Had a final GPA below % % %335 Transferred to another institution78.82% %640 Lost Bright Futures, GPA above % % % %372 Changed majors 2 or more times21.42% %281.60% %228 Averaged 12+ hours per term78.58% % % %1,333 Averaged less than 12 hours21.42% % % %443 Had a GPA between 2.0 and % % % %703 Had a GPA at or above % % % %738 Received a UNF funded scholarship19.59% %86.40% %231 Powell, Lowe, Serwatka, 2009

What other variables are related to UNF graduation rates Understanding Graduation Rates Of the 873 (49.2%) students who graduated within 6 years, how many Of 91 (5%) students who did not graduate but were still enrolled after 6 years, how many Of 812 (45.7%) students who left before 6 years without graduating, how many Of the 1,776 students who were FTICs in Fall 2001 FTICs, how many %N%N%N%N Had a final GPA below % % %335 Transferred to another institution78.82% %640 Lost Bright Futures, GPA above % % % %372 Changed majors 2 or more times21.42% %281.60% %228 Averaged 12+ hours per term78.58% % % %1,333 Averaged less than 12 hours21.42% % % %443 Had a GPA between 2.0 and % % % %703 Had a GPA at or above % % % %738 Received a UNF funded scholarship19.59% %86.40% % (40%) of the students who left with GPAs below 2.0 transferred to other schools, most often a community college Many of the students who left UNF, had lower GPAs than those who graduated, but not all. Students who leave are Less likely to have a UNF funded scholarship

Understanding Graduation Rates Transferred to a Transferred during or at the end of their Grand Total freshman year sophomore year junior yearsenior year 2-year institution (60%) 4-year institution (40%) Grand Total 358 (56%) 208 (33%) 65 (10%) 9 (1%) 640 When did the 640 fall 2001 FTICs who left UNF transfer to another school and where did they go 152 or 24% of the 640 students who transferred to another institution earned a bachelor’s degree, but almost all didn’t return to UNF to earn that degree.

Colleges with Five or More UNF Fall 2001 FTIC Transfer Students Understanding Graduation Rates Name of College Transferred during or at the end of their Grand Total freshman year sophomore year junior yearsenior year Florida State College (formerly FCCJ) University of Central Florida University of Florida Florida Atlantic University Daytona State College19524 Florida State University81523 Santa Fe Community College14 Valencia Community College11 Polk Community College6511 Tallahassee Community College99 Seminole Community College99 St Johns River Community College77 Palm Beach Community College77 Broward Community College77 St Petersburg College66

Where do you invest your funds to increase graduation rates A study by Webber and Ehrenberg suggests that different schools benefit from different types of investments aimed at addressing the problem. Schools with low SAT scores and higher levels of poverty can increase there graduation rates by increasing expenditures on student services more than schools with higher SAT scores and low levels of poverty. Estimates are that schools with low SAT scores could increase graduation rates by 1.7% by increasing funding for student services by $500 per student. Webber & Ehrenberg, 2009 Understanding Graduation Rates

Where do you invest your funds to increase graduation rates When Worcester Polytechnic Institute instituted a project- based cooperative learning model in a select group of large introductory level courses, they were able to raise graduation rates for the students who enrolled in those sections by 20% when compared to students who didn’t participate in these classes. Miller et al, 1998 Understanding Graduation Rates

Where have we invested resources to increase graduation rates UNF data suggest that university funded merit scholarships may lead to strong retention and graduation rates for high achieving students Understanding Graduation Rates Cohort Freshman to Sophomore retention rate 4-year graduation rate 6-year graduation rate Fall 2000 Presidential Scholars 100%64.2%85.7% All Others 78.5%19.4%53.9% Fall 2001 Presidential Scholars 90.0%70.0%80.0% All Others 77.7%22.2%45.0%

Where have we invested our resources to increase graduation rates UNF data suggest that university funded need-based scholarships may keep low-income students on par with peers for retention rates. Understanding Graduation Rates Cohort Freshman to sophomore year retention rate Sophomore to Junior retention rate Fall 2006 SWOOP Scholars 83.3%64.3% All Others 77.4%63.4% Fall 2007 SWOOP Scholars 77.1% All Others76.5% Lowe, Powell, Serwatka, 2009

Where do we invest our funds to increase graduation rates Changing the shape of the cohort – higher admission standards – greater fulltime and on-campus residence enrollment Changing the curriculum for everyone – programs to promote social integration – programs to promote student engagement Focusing attention – extensive and targeted academic support programs – freshman programming Understanding Graduation Rates