Feb. 17, 2011

Student retention rates up in last two years

by Anne Krapfl

Among the annual reports submitted to the state Board of Regents at its Feb. 3 meeting was an update on student retention and graduation rates. Among the highlights in Iowa State's piece of the report:

The one-year retention rate for the freshman class of 2009 was 86.0 percent, an all-time high.
Variables that impact one-year retention rates include high school rank, ACT score and first-semester GPA. Racial/ethnic minorities return for a second year at a lower rate than non-minority students; for the fall class of 2009, the overall difference was 7.1 percentage points.

Below is a chart summarizing the success rates.

Retention and graduation rates: ISU freshman classes

	Returned 2nd year
Fall class of	ISU (all)	ISU (LC)	National*	Returned 3rd year	Graduated within 4 yrs.	Graduated within 6 yrs.	Average yrs. to degree
2002	84.2%	89.9%	72.6%	75.7%	33.6%	67.7%	4.58
2003	84.7%	88.0%	73.6%	77.8%	35.3%	69.3%	4.55
2004	85.8%	90.0%	72.7%	78.0%	36.7%	70.2%	4.54
2005	83.4%	87.2%	74.0%	76.0%	33.3%	-	-
2006	84.9%	88.1%	73.4%	77.1%	38.6%	-	-
2007	83.5%	87.4%	70.9%	75.3%	-	-	-
2008	84.0%	86.7%	72.9%	76.3%	-	-	-
2009	86.0%	88.6%	73.9%	-	-	-	-