Retention and Graduation Definitions

Attendance Patterns of First-time, Full-time Freshmen
Retention and Graduation
DEFINITIONS

Fall Semester of Entering Freshman

Classes/Entering Freshmen Each Fall semester a cohort of new freshmen are admitted to the University of Kansas. The definition of first-time freshmen is:

  • Entering freshmen who have never attended any college;
  • Students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term;
  • Students who entered with advance standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school);
  • Any student who graduated from high school in the previous spring semester, regardless of whether or not they earned college credit prior to graduation or during the summer semester prior to the fall semester enrollment.

Only full-time freshmen are included in the retention and graduation reports.

Full-time Status

Students are categorized as full-time or part-time based on the number of hours enrolled during the first fall semester at KU. Full-time status is given to students enrolled in 12 or more hours. Once this status is set, it does not change regardless of how many hours the student enrolls in during subsequent semesters.

Exclusions

Federal Regulations allow universities to remove students from the cohort based for the following reasons:

  • The student is deceased or is totally and permanently disabled;
  • The student left school to serve in the armed forces or was called to active duty;
  • The student left school to serve with a foreign aid service of the Federal Government;
  • The student left school to serve on an official church mission.

Retention Rates

Student enrollment is captured as of 20th day of classes for each semester. Retention data are reported for students enrolled in the two subsequent spring semesters (After 1 Semester and After 3 Semesters) and two subsequent fall semesters (After 1 Year and After 2 Years).

Cumulative Graduation Rates

Graduation rates are captured for students who graduate after 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. The rates are cumulative. For example, the six-year calculation includes students who graduated after 3, 4, 5, and 6 years.

Continuation Rates

The continuation rates represent students who have not graduated from KU and are enrolled as an undergraduate for the designated fall semesters.

Ethnicity/Race

The ethnicity of the student is self-reported. The ethnic status is captured during the student's first semester. 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 or Pacific Islander or can choose more than one ethnicity (reported as Multiple Ethnicities). International students are classified as Nonresident Aliens. For reporting purposes, the ethnicity, as self-reported during the freshman’s initial fall semester, is retained throughout their tenure at the university.

Residency

Residency is based on coding used for fee purposes. Students who have established residency in the State of Kansas are referred to as residents. Out-of-state students are labeled nonresidents.

ACT / Converted SAT Scores

ACT analyses are based on the composite score. ACT composite scores earned prior to 1990 have been enhanced on an individual basis for purposes of this study. For Fall 1995 and later the SAT Total scores are converted to ACT scores and are included in the retention and graduation analyses.