2014 National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates

National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates Since 1983, ACT has collected a comprehensive database of first­ to second­year retention rates and persistence to degree rates. These rates provide national benchmarks for institution type and level of selectivity. Data are compiled by ACT from the ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire, an annual online survey of information collected from two­year and four­year postsecondary institutions. First­to Second­Year Retention Rates Table 1. Summary Table: National First­ to Second­Year Retention Rates by Institutional Type Table 2. First­ to Second­Year Retention Rates: Two­Year Colleges by Admission Selectivity Table 3. First­ to Second­Year Retention Rates: Four­Year Public Colleges by Level of Selectivity and Degrees Offered Table 4. First­ to Second­Year Retention Rates: Four­Year Private Colleges by Level of Selectivity and Degrees Offered Persistence to Degree Rates Table 5. Summary Table: National Persistence to Degree Rates by Institutional Type Table 6. Persistence to Degree Rates: Two­Year Institutions by Level of Selectivity Table 7. Persistence to Degree Rates: Four­Year Public Institutions by Degrees Offered and Level of Selectivity Table 8. Persistence to Degree Rates: Four­Year Private Institutions by Degrees Offered and Level of Selectivity See www.act.org/collegepersistence for more information and access to interactive charts. © 2014 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. 2042 1 Important Information About These Tables • Cohort description: First­time/full­time students who were first enrolled at a postsecondary institution in fall 2012. • Retention rate: Percent of first­time/full­time students who first enrolled in fall 2012 and were also enrolled in fall 2013 at the same institution. • Persistence to degree rate: Percent of students completing a degree within a designated timeframe at the same institution. The tables in this document are based on the year in which a particular cohort enrolled as first­time/full­time degree­seeking students, as illustrated below. Number of Years to Complete 23456 Year of First Enrollment 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 These reports are based on data accumulated through June 6, 2014. Many of the tables are reported by institutional selectivity. The selectivity categories used are based on the general descriptions below. ACT SAT Selectivity Middle Middle Level 50% 50% * Definition Highly Selective 25–30 1710–2000 Majority admitted from top 10% of H.S. class Selective 21–26 1470–1770 Majority admitted from top 25% of H.S. class Traditional 18–24 1290–1650 Majority admitted from top 50% of H.S. class Liberal 17–22 1230–1530 Majority admitted from bottom 50% of H.S. class Open 16–21 1170–1480 Generally open to all with H.S. diploma or equivalent * SAT score ranges are a point­to­point concordance with ACT scores based on a joint study by ACT and the College Board. Selectivity ranges may vary from one institution to another. 2 Table 1 Summary Table: National First­ toSecond­Year Retention Rates byInstitutional Type Degree Level/Control N Mean (%) SD * Two­year Public 647 54.9 11.6 Two­year Private 50 64.3 22.5 BA/BS Public 80 64.2 14.1 BA/BS Private 249 69.8 18.8 MA/MS/MBA/1st Professional Public 174 68.4 12.3 MA/MS/MBA/1st Professional Private 401 73.2 13.5 PhD Public 233 77.9 11.9 PhD Private 254 80.9 11.9 Total 2,088 67.6 NA *Standard Deviation Source: ACT Institutional Data File, 2014 3 First­to Second­Year Retention Rates: Two­Year Institutions by Admission Selectivity Table 2 Two­Year Private Two­Year Public All Reporting Institutions Institutions Institutions in Row Admissions Selectivity N Mean (%) SD N Mean (%) SD N Mean (%) SD Highly Selective 1 100 — 1 59.0 — 2 79.5 29.0 Selective 5 86.8 23.4 1 46.0 — 6 80.0 26.7 Traditional 12 69.6 28.0 12 49.4 12.4 24 59.5 23.6 Liberal 3 69.7 11.7 10 60.7 16.2 13 62.8 15.3 Open 29 56.5 16.5 623 54.9 11.5 652 55.0 11.8 All Reporting Institutions 50 64.3 22.5 647 54.9 11.6 697 55.5 12.9 in Column Source: ACT Institutional Data File, 2014 4 Table 3 First­to Second­Year Retention Rates: Four­Year Public Institutions by Level ofSelectivity and Degrees Offered Admissions Selectivity Offering Bachelor’s Degrees O