Retention rates are measures of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For four-year institutions, this is the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. For all other institutions this is the percentage of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall. The full-time retention rate is calculated using the percentage of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates, while the part-time rate is calculated using the percentage of part-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates.
Graduation rates are those developed to satisfy the requirements of the Student Right-to-Know Act and Higher Education Act, as amended, and are defined as the total number of individuals from a given cohort of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who completed a degree or certificate within a given percent of normal time to complete all requirements of the degree or certificate program; divided by the total number of students in the cohort of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates minus any allowable exclusions. Institutions are permitted to exclude from the cohort students who died or were totally and permanently disabled; those who left school to serve in the armed forces or were called up to active duty; those who left to serve with a foreign aid service of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; and those who left to serve on an official church mission.
A further extension of the traditional Graduation Rates (GR) component which carries forward 100% and 150% graduation rates data previously reported in the GR component is the Graduation Rates 200% (GR200) component, which requests information on any additional completers and exclusions from the cohort between 151% and 200% normal time for students to complete all requirements of their program of study.
Transfer-out rate is the total number of students from the cohort who are known to have transferred out of the reporting institution (without earning a degree/award) and subsequently re-enrolled at another institution within the same time period; divided by the same adjusted cohort (initial cohort minus allowable exclusions) as described above. Only institutions with a mission that includes providing substantial preparation for students to enroll in another eligible institution are required to report transfers out.
Alternative measures of student success are reported by degree-granting institutions to describe the outcomes of four degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate student groups: First-time, full-time (FTFT); First-time, part-time (FTPT); Non-first-time, full-time entering (NFTFT); and Non-first-time, part-time entering (NFTPT). Additionally, each of the four cohorts collects data on two subcohorts: Pell grant recipients and non-Pell grant recipients. These measures provide the 4-year, 6-year, and 8-year award rates (or completions rates) after entering an institution. NCES calculates award rates by dividing a cohort's or subcohort's adjusted cohort into the number of total awards at 4-year, 6-year, and 8-year status points.
The initial cohort can be revised and take allowable exclusions resulting in an adjusted cohort. Institutions are permitted to exclude from the initial cohort students who died or were totally and permanently disabled; those who left school to serve in the armed forces or were called up to active duty; those who left to serve with a foreign aid service of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; and those who left to serve on an official church mission.
The highest award and the type of award (i.e., certificate, Associate's, or Bachelor's) are reported at each status point. For students who did not earn an undergraduate award after 8-years of entry, the enrollment statuses are reported as either still enrolled at the institution, or subsequently transferred out of the institution. Unlike the Graduation Rates data, all institutions must report on a full-year cohort (students entering July 1 of one year to June 30 to the next) and on their transfer out of the institution, regardless if the institution has a mission that provides substantial transfer preparation.
Core revenues for public institutions reporting under GASB standards include tuition and fees; government (federal, state, and local) appropriations and operating and nonoperating grants/contracts; private gifts, grants, and contracts (private operating grants/contracts plus gifts and contributions from affiliated entities); sales and services of educational activities; investment income; other operating and nonoperating sources; and other revenues and additions (capital appropriations and grants and additions to permanent endowments). “Other core revenues” include federal appropriations, sales and services of educational activities, other operating and nonoperating sources, and other revenues and additions.
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