The Report Card
A monthly newsletter that gives you the facts...
Volume
1, Issue iv
September 30, 2002
In This Month's Issue:
Retention & Graduation
Next month's
issue will feature :
Progress in Pre-College Instruction
For more
information
about this survey or other surveys, please contact Erika
Prager or Fia
Eliasson.
Welcome to the fourth edition of The
Report Card newsletter! This is a monthly newsletter containing
information on various topics related to institutional effectiveness. This
fourth issue is on Retention and
Graduation.
Background:
More
than one-third of all students enroll at a Washington community college
with the intent of earning a two-year degree. GRCC students follow a
similar pattern. In fall 2001, 37% of new students enrolled at GRCC
with the intent of earning a degree (87% enrolled full-time and 13%
enrolled part-time). An additional 15% enrolled with the intent of
attending up to two years but had no specific degree planned.
Many
students attend college either full-time or part-time in addition to other
responsibilities such as working or caring for children.
As a result, students often "stop-out," taking one
or more quarters off and continuing their studies at a later point in
time. Because of these
"stop-out" patterns, students can take up to six years or even
longer to complete the requirements for a two-year degree.
During the 2001-02 academic year, a total of 629 transfer degrees and 991 professional/technical degrees and certificates were awarded. (See Figure 1). Twenty-seven percent of full-time degree-seeking students who entered GRCC in fall 1997 completed their degree within three years, compared to 26% system-wide.
Highlights:
More than half (51%) of all first-time, degree-seeking students entering GRCC fall quarter 1999 made substantial progress over a two-year period. An additional 28% made some progress toward their degree by attending two or three quarters. (See Figure 2). System-wide, 48% of the first-time degree-seeking students made substantial progress and 29% made some progress.
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Fifty-five percent of the full-time students and 33% of the part-time students made substantial progress over a two-year period. This is slightly higher than students system-wide (54% and 31% respectively). (See Figure 3).
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Part-time students are more likely to leave after only one quarter compared to full-time students (35% and 18% respectively). System-wide about 38% of the part-time students attended only one quarter over a two-year period.
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Approximately 81% of female students made some or substantial progress compared to 78% of male students. (See Figure 4).
Overall, the percent of first-time, degree-seeking students
retained from fall quarter through subsequent quarters (winter and spring)
decreased somewhat over the past three years.
Fifty-six percent of the students
entering fall 2001 were retained through the following spring quarter
compared to 64% entering fall 1999. (See
Figure 5).
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Of the students entering fall quarter 2001, about 59% of full-timers enrolled through the following spring quarter compared to 38% of the part-timers. (See Figure 6).
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Female students had higher fall to spring retention compared to male students (61% compared to 53% of the male students).
(See Figure 7).
The average number of quarters enrolled by first-time,
degree-seeking students has remained stable over the past three years.
Students entering GRCC in fall 1997 enrolled in an
average of 4.9 quarters over a three-year period compared to 4.2 for
students entering in fall 1998 and 4.5 for student entering in fall 1999.
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Approximately 41% enrolled in six or more quarters over three years. (See Figure 8).
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In general, the average number of quarters enrolled by male students over a three-year period is slightly lower than that of female students. Of the male students that entered GRCC in fall 1999, 40% enrolled in six or more quarters compared to 42% of female students. (See Figure 9).
Learn More About The Office of Research and Planning
If you have additional questions, please contact
Erika Prager at ext. 2569 or Fia Eliasson at ext. 2568