In 2014, the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and subsequently the State Legislature as a whole, adopted intent language for the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) to report on completion, transfer, job placement, cost and the transition from developmental to college-level math. Highlights from the report include:
Graduation rates
Completing a bachelor’s degree in 100% of time means completing in four years; 150% of time, six years; and 200% of time, eight years. Utah students tend to take longer to graduate when compared nationally. In response to this, the Utah State Board of Regents has made college completion a top priority. Learn more about what’s being done to improve Utah’s graduation rates.
Graduation rates 2013-2014 (first-time, full-time entering students)
Retention rates
These retention rates show the percentage of students who enrolled in Fall 2012 and enrolled again in Fall 2013. As expected, full-time students have a higher retention rate than part-time students.
Retention rates (Fall 2012 returning Fall 2013)
Job placement rates
Learn more about where Utah college graduates are employed, or wage information by field of study.
To estimate job placement rates, USHE graduates were matched with wage records from the Department of Workforce Services during the first year after graduation. These rates should be considered the minimum placement rate, as they are likely higher. These data do not provide a complete picture of job placement information; for example, they do not include Utah graduates who are self-employed, employed out-of-state, employed by the military or federal government, seeking additional education in Utah or elsewhere, or who choose not to be in the labor force (eg stay-at-home parents).
Utah job placement rates (July 2013 – June 2014)
Developmental math
Data has found that sticking with math, even when remediation is required. leads to success, which is why it’s important for students who have successfully completed a developmental math course to enroll in college-level math soon thereafter.
% of students successfully completing a developmental math course who immediately or concurrently enrolled in college-level math (1030 or higher)
Other report highlights:
- USHE received a total of 4,073 grants in fiscal year 2014, with the vast majority going to research (other categories include instruction and clinical). This amounted to a total of $617 million in funding for USHE institutions, an 11% increase over fiscal year 2013.
- The full report is available here.
