Retention and Graduation Reports (February 2017)

The following reports detail both counts and rates of student retention and graduation for the entering freshmen classes of full-time, first-time students from Fall 2000 to Fall 2016.

• Retention rates and counts are reported after 1 semester, 1 year (or 2 semesters), 3 semesters, and 2 years (or 4 semesters).
• Cumulative Graduation and Continuation rates and counts are provided after 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, and 6 years.

Highlights

• The four-year graduation rate for the 2012 entering class is an all-time high at 46.9%
• The 2011 entering class has a record-breaking five-year graduation rate of 59.8%
• The six-year graduation rate for the 2006 entering class is the highest recorded at 64.1%
• The one-semester retention rate for the 2016 cohort is 93.6%

February 22, 2017

Additional Information

Descriptions and information for the above tables are located in Definitions (pdf).

The above tables contain graduation information required to be disclosed under the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA - Sec. 488(a)(3)). The graduation information must be disaggregated by

1. gender;
2. major racial and ethnic subgroup (as defined in IPEDS);
3. recipients of a Federal Pell Grant;
4. recipients a subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant; and
5. students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan.

Note: Students are included in the Pell Grant or Stafford Loan if he/she received it during the initial year of enrollment.

Beginning with Fall 2010, additional racial/ethnic groups will be a part of the reporting process. In addition to American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White, students can identify themselves as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or can choose more than one ethnicity (listed as Multiple Ethnicities on the report). International students are classified as Nonresident Aliens.

Federal regulations allow for the exclusion of students in the entering cohorts for the following reasons:

1. The student is deceased or is totally and permanently disabled.
2. The student left school to serve in the armed forces or was called to active duty.

Note: This reduction in the entering freshmen counts increases the retention and graduation rates by less than 0.15% and averages about seven students per fall cohort.

Contact Information: JoAnn Williams, joann-williams@ku.edu