Right-to-Know Completion Rates, Defined Goals for Retention, Persistence, and Completion and Additional Student Outcome Data

2016-17 Completion Rates

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all colleges and universities report graduation rates to all prospective and current students.

As of fall 2016, of the 1,631 first-time, full-time, degree seeking students who entered Sinclair in fall 2013, 81.9% had graduated, were still enrolled at Sinclair, had transferred to another college or university, or left Sinclair in good standing.

* This includes those who earned an Associate's Degree within 3 years or a certificate within 150% of 'normal' time to completion (time varies depending on credit hours required).

** Includes only those who had not graduated or transferred by fall 2016, and who were not enrolled here as of fall 2016.

Defined Goals for Retention, Persistence, and Completion and Additional Student Outcome Data

Additional Student Outcome Data

Defined Goals for Student Retention and Persistence

Institutional Goal:

• Increase overall Fall to Spring retention to 70% by Fall 2018
• Increase overall Fall to Fall retention to 45% by Fall 2019

Institutional Goal:

• Increase retention of credential-seeking students from the first to the second year

Defined Goals for Student Completion

Institutional Goal:

• Increase completion to 5,000 completions by 2018
• because this goal was reached a year early, the new goal is to reach 7,500 completions by 2022

Data on Licensure Rates

Data on Students After Graduation

* Subsequent enrollment based on National Student Clearinghouse Data

** Subsequent employment based on Ohio Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) Records

Additional Goals Supporting Efforts to Improve Retention, Persistence, and Completion

¹ All near-term KPIs are based on associate's degree and certificate seeking student cohorts.

² 2011-12 Academic year not included in the credit accumulation threshold metric.

SOURCE: Frontier Set student-level database. August 23,2017 extract.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Graduation Rate and Completions Surveys, various years; Frontier Set student-level database, August 23, 2017 extract.

Key Performance Indicator Definitions

Credit Accumulation Thresholds
Percentage of credential-seeking students completing credit thresholds by the end of year 1: 15 credits for part-time students; 30 credits for full-time students.  Credits completed in the following types of courses are included: College-level courses, graduate level courses attempted by undergraduates, and developmental education courses if the institution counts them toward a credential.  Credit accumulations include "D" grades where they are considered as a course completion by the institution. AP/IB, dual enrollment, or transferred-in credits are not included.  Based on a student year, not an academic year (i.e., the first 12 months a student is enrolled, regardless of timing of first enrollment).  Source: Frontier Set student-level database.

Credit Completion Ratio
Percentage of attempted credits that credential-seeking students completed during their first year.  Credits attempted include all college-level courses, graduate level courses attempted by undergraduates, and developmental education courses if the institution counts them toward a credential.  Credits completed includes all those completed that were attempted, including "D" grades where they are considered as a course completion by the institution.  Credits for courses attempted multiple times are counted each time they are attempted and successfully completed, as reported by the institution. The ratio is based on the average of students' credit completion ratios, rather than the ratio of the total number of credits completed for the year within the institution divided by the total number of credits attempted for the year within the institution.  Based on a student year, not an academic year (i.e., the first 12 months a student is enrolled, regardless of first enrollment). Source: Frontier Set student-level database.

Gateway Course Completion Rate
Percentage of credential-seeking students completing required gateway math and English courses within the first year of enrollment. Computed only for students required to take either or both gateway math and/or English; students not required to take either gateway math or English are not included. Students required to take only one of gateway math or English are included, and gateway completion is achieved when the one required subject area is completed.  "D" and "P" grades are counted as passing where they are considered as a course completion by the institution.  Based on a student year, not an academic year (i.e., the first 12 months a student is enrolled, regardless of first enrollment). Source: Frontier Set student-level database.

Retention Rate
Percentage of credential-seeking students retained to second year.  Retained students fall into one of the two following groups:  
1.  Enrolled at the initial institution at any time during their second year.  
2. Completed a certificate or associate's degree at the initial institution by the end of their first year. Note: Some students complete the coursework required for a credential during their first year, do not enroll in courses during the second year, but the degree is conferred during the second year; these students are counted as completing during the first year, and are included as retained for this metric.  
Based on a student year, not an academic year (i.e., the first 12 months a student is enrolled, regardless of first enrollment). Source: Frontier Set student-level database.

Graduation Rate  
For the cohort of first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates enrolled 3 years prior to the reporting year, the percent of students completing a degree/certificate within 150% of normal time. Normal time is two years for an associate's degree, and the various scheduled times for certificate programs.  The graduation status is reported as of August 31 of the reported academic year.  Source: U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Graduation Rate Survey (GRS).

Number of Completions
Number associate's degrees and certificates awarded during the academic year.  Note: This is not cohort based, but based on the actual number of completions awarded by the institution(s) in the given academic year.  Source: U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey.

Success Rate
Percentage of credential-seeking students completing certificates, associate's degrees or bachelor's degrees, or transferring to a 4-year institution, within three years of first enrollment at the FS institution.  To be considered a transfer, enrollment at the 4-year institution can occur during any term after student's first term of enrollment at the FS institution.  The first credential or 4-year transfer is considered. Source: Frontier Set student-level data.

¹ Graduation rate as of August 31 of the reported year for the cohort of first-time, full-time certificate or associate's degree-seeking students who completed within 100, 150 or 200 percent of normal time. The 2015 data reflect the 2011 cohort; the historical baseline includes the 2007 through 2010 cohorts.

² All degrees awarded between July 1 and June 30 of the reported year (i.e., between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 for 2013).  Note:  Individual students may have been awarded multiple degrees.

³ Certificates awarded at less than the baccalaureate level.

⁴ All students awarded credentials between July 1 and June 30 the reported year (i.e., between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 for 2013). 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Graduation Rate and Completions Surveys, various years.