University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of Nevada, Reno Nevada State College College of Southern Nevada Great Basin College Truckee Meadows Community College Western Nevada College Desert Research Institute Creating a Culture of Completion For Presentation to the Legislative Committee on Education March 26, 2014 *

Today’s Presentation 2  Creating a culture of completion in Nevada  Complete College America – aggressive goals to graduate more students  Policy changes adopted that support student completion  Access and Affordability – more work to be done  15 to Finish – Enrollment intensity and student completion campaign

3 U.S. Ranking Among Nations for Year Olds with an Associate’s Degree or Higher Among developed nations, the U.S. ranks 14 th for its educated youth. Source: Bridging the Higher Education Divide, The Century Foundation Press, May 22, 2013

4 To be first among nations by 2020, 60% of year olds in the United States will need to have a postsecondary credential. How it all began... The Goal of the Obama Administration Source: Bridging the Higher Education Divide, The Century Foundation Press, May 22, 2013

Percent of Adults 25 to 34 with an Associates Degree or Higher 5 NV 28.3% 50th National Average: 40.1% Educational Attainment

6 For a strong economy, the skills gap must be closed. Complete College America 58% 28% 30% By 2020, jobs in Nevada requiring a career certificate or college degree Nevada adults who currently have an associate degree or higher The Skills Gap Source: Time is the Enemy, Complete College America, 2011

7 Complete College America Complete College America is an alliance of states committed to significantly increasing the number of students successfully completing college and achieving degrees and credentials of value in the labor market and closing attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations by Member states The CCA Alliance 33 states and the District of Columbia

NSHE’s Campaign to Create a Culture of Completion Complete College America Strategic Directions  120 / 60 credit policy  Low Yield Program Policy  Excess Credit Policy New Funding Formula Performance Pool Access and Affordability 15 to Finish Campaign A shift in focus from enrolling to graduating students... but there is more work to be done. What we have already done 8

year Percent Change Certificates (30+ credits) % Associates degrees2,9363,0543,3773,8113, % Bachelor’s degrees6,0586,2316,2516,5316,6259.4% Total9,2959,62610,01810,96511, % Number of Degrees and Certificates Awarded Note: Figures do not include master’s, doctoral, first-professional degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates. Bachelor’s degrees with second majors are counted only once. Source: IPEDS Revised on 01/05/ Awards Conferred

10 Skills Certificates A New Reporting Frontier Reporting Workforce Recognized Credentials Certificates of less than 30 credit hours Provide preparation necessary to take state, national or industry recognized certifications o Examples: American Welding Society, National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, Commission on Dietetic Registration Portable and stackable credentials Began official reporting in

11 Skills Certificates Less than 30 Credit Hours CSN1,489 GBC171 TMCC534 WNC293 TOTAL2, Reporting Going forward, skills certificate counts will be used in reporting for Complete College America goals, NSHE accountability metrics, and in future iterations of the NSHE Performance Pool.

12 Shifting Gears Promoting Student Completion through Policy 60/120 Credit Policy  Limiting the number of credits for an associates or bachelor’s degree to 60 and 120 credits, respectively Low Yield Policy  Requiring institutions to review programs on a regular basis in the context of degree productivity. Institutions must develop a plan for increasing productivity or eliminate the low-yield program Excess Credit Policy  Tough love policy – charging students a 50 percent surcharge if they accumulate more than 150 percent of the credits required for their degree program

13 Performance Based Funding Shifting the focus from enrollment to graduation through funding  Base Formula driven by course completions  Performance Pool with metrics focused on graduating students

14 Are NSHE Institutions Affordable? It Depends.... Factors in Affordability  The Price Tag o Tuition and Fees, Room and Board  Student/Family Ability to Pay o Family Income  Institutional Support o Financial Aid Historically, discussions on tuition and fees of NSHE institutions focused on the price tag as compared to the prices in the regional western United States.

15 Access and Affordability When you consider the price tag alone relative to Median Family Income in Nevada, NSHE institutions appear affordable Average Tuition and Fees as a % of Median Family Income Average Tuition and Fees as a % of Median Family Income (Lowest Quintile) Nevada8.7%28.5% U.S. Average12.7%46.7% Public 4-Year Institutions, Average Tuition and Fees as a % of Median Family Income Average Tuition and Fees as a % of Median Family Income (Lowest Quintile) Nevada4.4%14.5% U.S. Average4.5%16.6% Public 2-Year Institutions, Source: NCES, IPEDS

16 Percent of Median Family Income Needed to Pay for College 4-Year Institutions, Source: NCES, IPEDS Access and Affordability Nevada: 21.2% Nation: 18.6% Nevada: 17.6% Nation: 16.9% Net Price figures include tuition and fees, and room and board, less financial aid

17 Percent of Income from the Lowest Quintile Needed to Pay for College 4-Year Institutions, Source: NCES, IPEDS Access and Affordability Nevada: 69.9% Nation: 68.7% Nevada: 56.0% Nation: 60.7%

18 Percent of Median Family Income Needed to Pay for College 2-Year Institutions, Source: NCES, IPEDS Access and Affordability Nevada: 18.9% Nation: 13.5% Nevada: 16.8% Nation: 12.9%

19 Percent of Income from the Lowest Quintile Needed to Pay for College 2-Year Institutions, Source: NCES, IPEDS Access and Affordability Nevada: 62.4% Nation: 49.9% Nevada: 53.4% Nation: 46.4%

20 College Participation College Participation Rates for Students from Low Income Families in Nevada Getting better, but not good enough.... the national rate for college participation among students from low income families was 39.4% in 2012, Nevada ranked 44 th among states at 28.6%. In these difficult economic times, access and affordability must be maintained. Source: Postsecondary Education Opportunity, September 2013

21 College Participation Source: Postsecondary Education Opportunity, September 2013 Nevada: Among the Lowest in the Nation for 2-Year College Participation Rates for Students from Low Income Families Select Participation Rates: 2-Year Institutions, 2012 Florida5.2% District of Columbia5.9% Nevada6.4% West Virginia7.1% Utah7.4% South Dakota7.8% 2-Year U.S. Rate15.0% How Accessible are Nevada’s Access Institutions?

22 Access and Affordability As Nevada focuses increasingly on creating policies to encourage degree completion, it is becoming more and more apparent that financial aid policy cannot be considered in isolation from other state policies and practices. Likewise, it seems clear that a consistent state-wide policy to ensure that all students have the chance to attend college will have the greatest positive effect on student completion rates. Nevada students need a clear commitment from the State to provide a stable and adequate source of funding for need-based financial aid to ensure access for low income students. State-Funded, Need-Based Financial Aid Program

23 Benefits include: Progress from freshman to sophomore status after first year More likely to graduate Pay less in tuition and living expenses Gain additional years of earnings Free up limited classroom space for other students Source: The Power of 15 Hours, Enrollment Intensity and Postsecondary Student Achievement, Dr. Nate Johnson, Fall to Finish Shift Focus to Benefits of Full-Time Enrollment Enrollment Intensity

To the extent students can go full-time at any point, increased likelihood of completing. National Perspective 24 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Four-Year Public Institutions Part-time students far less likely to graduate *Completed: Includes students who completed at starting or different institution **Mixed Enrollment: Both part-time and full-time during the study period Source: Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates, National Student Clearing House, December 2013

To the extent students can go full-time at any point, increased likelihood of completing. National Perspective 25 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Two-Year Public Institutions Part-time students far less likely to graduate *Completed: Includes students who completed at starting or different institution **Mixed Enrollment: Both part-time and full-time during the study period Source: Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates, National Student Clearing House, December 2013

National Perspective 26 National Center for Education Statistics o Undergraduates enrolled full-time – 30 or more credits completed in first year – are more likely to graduate on time than students who completed fewer credits per year. Source: National Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey, o Withdrawal rates are lower for full-time students. One-third of part-time students withdrew in their first year. Source: NCES Report Enrollment Intensity

Graduation Rates by Credit Load % Graduated % Not Graduated NOTE: Fall 2008 cohort, first-time, degree seeking students who earned a certificate or associates degree at a community college within 200% time to degree. Enrollment load based on first term. 15 TO FINISH Undergraduate students who are enrolled full-time are more likely to graduate from college. 27 NSHE 2-Year Institutions – Fall 2008 Cohort NSHE 4-Year Institutions – Fall 2004 Cohort NOTE: Fall 2004 cohort, first-time, degree-seeking students, who earned a bachelor’s degree within 200% time to degree at a 4-year institution. Enrollment load based on first term.

28 Graduation Rates by Credit Load and Ethnicity NSHE 2-Year Institutions – Fall 2008 Cohort First-term Enrollment Load < 1212 – Minorities 2.6%11.3%20.9% White Non-Hispanic 2.8%11.5%23.3% NOTE: Fall 2004 cohort, first-time, degree-seeking students, who earned a bachelor’s degree within 200% time to degree at a 4-year institution. Fall 2008 cohort students who earned a certificate or associates degree at a community college within 200% time to degree. Enrollment load based on first term. Regardless of race or ethnicity, undergraduate students who are enrolled full-time are more likely to graduate from college. 4-Year Institutions – Fall 2004 Cohort First-term Enrollment Load < 1212 – Minorities23.1%38.7%53.5% White Non-Hispanic19.1%45.9%60.5% Enrollment Intensity

Persistence Rates 29 NOTE: Analysis includes first-time, degree-seeking freshmen cohorts from Fall 2009, 2011, and Full-time students are significantly more likely to persist to the next semester. Enrollment Intensity

NOTE: Fall 2008 cohort of first-time, degree-seeking freshmen. 30 Lacking other data elements, placement into remedial English and/or mathematics was used as a proxy for academic preparation. Data: Cohort GPA by Academic Preparation Regardless of academic preparation, students enrolled full-time have higher grade point averages. NSHE 2-Year Institutions NSHE 4-Year Institutions Remedial English / Math Enrollment Groups Credit Load GPA (cohort) GPA (cohort) College < to < Remedial < to <

31 Policy Considerations Related to 15 to Finish Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship  Minimum enrollment required o 6 credits at the 2-year institutions o 12 credits at the 4-year institutions  Maximum funding per semester o 12 credit max funded each semester In support of NSHE’s student success campaign, we urge the Nevada Legislature to consider increasing the maximum award for the Millennium Scholarship from 12 to 15 credits. Enrollment Intensity

32 Has all this work made a difference? Source: NCHEMS, NCES, IPEDS , Completions File Awards include 30+ credit certificates, associates degree, and bachelor’s degrees Changing Nevada Percent Change in Awards Conferred, 2010 thru 2012 Bottom Line: YES!!! A 21% increase in awards conferred in the first three years of Complete College America participation -- the policy initiatives and campaigns associated with CCA are making a difference relative to other state and the national average (13.5%)!

Questions! 33