Student Achievement Data

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates Persistence and Completion Licensure Exam Pass Rate Graduate Placement Rate

 

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates

What is a graduation rate and what is a transfer-out rate?

Federal regulations specify how to calculate the graduation and transfer rates. The rates come from a study of Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) students who started at the college in the fall of 2018. The study includes all first-time students who enrolled full-time that fall and were seeking to earn a degree, diploma or certificate at the college.

  • Graduation Rate - The percentage of these students who graduated from M State within three years.
  • Transfer-Out Rate - The percentage of these students who did not graduate from M State, but instead transferred to another college or university within three years.

What do I need to know about these rates?

These rates do not report on all students at M State. The 727 first-time, full-time students in the study represent about 12 percent of all students enrolled at M State in fall of 2018.

What are the graduation and transfer-out rates for M State students and how do they compare to rates for other colleges?

  • The graduation rate for M State was 44 percent.
  • The transfer-out rate for M State was 47 percent.
  • The combination of the graduation rate and the transfer-out rate for M State was 91 percent.
  • The national average combined rate for similar colleges was 45 percent.

Why don't more M State students graduate or transfer in three years?

  • Since M State has an "open door" mission, many new students need to take "developmental" courses to improve their reading, writing or math skills before taking other college courses;
  • Students who switch from full-time to part-time enrollment or "stop out" for one or more semesters are more likely to take more than three years to graduate;
  • Some students take jobs before they graduate;
  • Other students delay their education for personal, family or financial reasons.
M State Graduation Rate Transfer-Out Rate Combined Rate
Total Cohort 44% 47% 91%

 

Race/Ethnicity                                         Graduation Rate Transfer-Out Rate Combined Rate
American Indian or Alaska Native * * *
Asian * * *
Black or African American 18% 71% 89%
Hispanic of any race * * *
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander * * *
U.S. Nonresident * * *
Two or more races 19% 69% 89%
Unknown race and ethnicity * * *
White 50% 41% 91%

 

Gender Graduation Rate Transfer-Out Rate Combined Rate
Female 41% 53% 93%
Male 47% 42% 90%

 

Financial Aid Graduation Rate Transfer-Out Rate Combined Rate
Pell Grant Recipient 39% 52% 91%
Received neither Pell nor Subsidized Stafford Loans 50% 41% 91%
Received Subsidized Stafford Loans, but no Pell 50% 42% 92%

*Suppressed to protect student privacy. Due to rounding, percentages may not always appear to add up.

Visit www.minnesota.edu/about/student-right-to-know for more information regarding the Student Right-To-Know Act which requires higher education institutions participating in federally funded financial aid programs to publicly disclose specific data and information.

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Student Persistence and Completion

Persistence and Completion

Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020
66.6% 68.0% 68.4% 67.0% 69.1%

Percent Change (end of term fall 2015 through fall 2020): 2.5%

Definition: Percent of fall entering cohort of regular and transfer students who have been retained, graduated, or transferred by the second fall term following original fall enrollment.

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Completion Rate

Completion Rate

Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018
48.1% 52.7% 49.2% 51.1% 52.3%

Percent Change (end of term fall 2014 through fall 2018): 4.2%

Definition: Percent of entering cohort of undergraduate regular and transfer students that have completed. Completion is measured as graduation or transfer by the end of the third spring after entry at M State.

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Licensure Exam Pass Rate

Licensure Pass Rate

CY 2015 CY 2016 CY 2017 CY 2018 CY 2019
94.6% 86.0% 81.1% 89.6% 93.1%

Percent Change (calendar years 2015 through 2019): -1.5%

Definition: Percent of a cohort of students or graduates that passed a state or national licensure examination. This measure is a weighted average pass rate and currently includes three licensing exams: nursing, peace officer and radiography.

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Graduate Placement Rate

Related Employment Rate by Award Type

Related Employment by Award Type

Award Type 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
AA/AS/AFA 94% 92% 90% 97% 100%
AAS 92% 92% 91% 94% 93%
Diploma/Certificate 91% 94% 91% 92% 97%
Total 92% 92% 92% 94% 96%

Percent Change (fiscal year 2017 - 2021): AA/AS/AFA 6%, AAS 1%, diploma/certificate 6%, total for all degrees 4%

 

Continuing Education Rate by Award Type

Continuing Ed by Award Type

Award Type 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
AA/AS/AFA 52% 50% 56% 63% 60%
AAS 16% 15% 15% 17% 15%
Diploma/Certificate 30% 24% 20% 21% 23%
Total 35% 33% 35% 36% 36%

Percent Change (fiscal year 2017 - 2021): AA/AS/AFA 8%, AAS -1%, diploma/certificate -7%, total for all degrees 1%

 
Related Employment by Major
Major Award 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Accounting AAS 100% 90% 100% 94% 88%
Accounting Clerk Diploma 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Accounting Transfer Pathway (formerly Accounting AS) AS 100% 50% 67% N/A 100%
Administrative Assistant - Finance Certificate N N/A N/A 100% 100%
Administrative Assistant - Human Resources Certificate N N/A 100% 100% 100%
Administrative Assistant - Legal Certificate N N/A N/A 100%  
Administrative Support Diploma 100% N/A 100% 100% 100%
Advanced HVAC (formerly Commercial Refrigeration) Diploma 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
American Sign Language Studies Certificate 100% N/A 67% 0% N/A
Architectural Drafting Diploma     100%   100%
Architectural Drafting and Design AAS 100% 67% 100% 100%  
Art Transfer Pathway (formerly Visual Arts AFA) AFA 100% N/A N/A 100%  
Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate N N   100% N/A
Automotive Service Technology AAS 100% 100% 100% 75% 100%
Automotive Service Technology Diploma 82% 100% 50% 100% 100%
Biology Transfer Pathway (formerly Biological Sciences AS) AS 100% 0% N/A N/A N/A
Business Administration AAS 100% 100% 100% 100% N/A
Business Entrepreneurship AAS 100% 100% 50% N/A 100%
Business Entrepreneurship Diploma N/A 100% 100%   100%
Business: Management, Marketing and Sales AAS 94% 93% 90% 96%

88%

Business: Marketing and Sales Diploma 100% 80% 100% 100% N/A
Business Transfer Pathway (formerly Business AS) AS 88% 100% 75% N/A 100%
Cardiovascular Technology Invasive AAS N   100% 100% 100%
Chemistry AS N/A N/A   N/A  
Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Behavioral Health (formerly Mental Health Behavioral Aide II) Certificate N/A 100% 50% N/A N/A
Cisco Networking Certificate 100% 100%   N/A 100%
Civil Engineering Technology AAS 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Computer Programming AAS 100% 71% 78% 100% 100%
Construction Managment AAS 100% 100% 91% 90% 100%
Correctional Officer Certificate 91% 50%   N/A  
Cosmetology Diploma 100% 100% 89% 100% 100%
Cosmetology - North Dakota Certificate       N/A  
Criminal Justice AS 100% 80% 70% 67% 100%
Culinary Arts (formerly Fundamentals of Culinary Arts) Diploma 100% 100% 88% 100% 100%
Cybersecurity (formerly Network Administration and Security) AAS 100% 90% 100% 100% 50%
Cybersecurity (formerly Network Security) Certificate     100% 100% 100%
Dental Assisting AAS 86% 100% 95% 100% 100%
Dental Assisting Diploma N/A 85% 100% 100% 100%
Dental Hygiene AAS 94% 89% 93% 94% 100%
Diesel Equipment Technology AAS 100% 100% 100% 93% 80%
Diesel Equipment Technology Diploma 100%   100%    
Digital Marketing AAS N N N   67%
Drafting and 3D Technologies AAS 67% 100% 100% 71% 100%
Early Childhood Certificate N N 100% 100%  
Early Childhood and paraprofessional Education AS 100% 100% 100% 67% 100%
Electrical Lineworker Technology AAS 93% 92% 100% 89% 100%
Electrical Lineworker Technology Diploma 94% 96% 77% 81% 92%
Electrical Technology Diploma 100% 96% 95% 98% 94%
Engineering AS N/A 100% 100% 100% N/A
Entrepreneur Essentials Certificate N/A 100%     N/A
Entrepreneurship Certificate       N/A 100%
Environmental Science AS 0% 100% 0%    
Esthetician Certificate N/A   100% 100% 100%
Graphic Design Certificate 100% N/A     100%
Graphic Design Technology Diploma N N   86% 100%
Health Information Technology/Coding AAS 73% 94% 100% 93% 95%
Human Resources AAS 79% 80% 73% 92% 75%
Human Resources AS 50% 86% 89% 100% 100%
HVAC - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology Diploma 100% 100% 100% 93% 100%
Individual Studies AAS     N/A   100%
Information Technology AAS 100% 100% 75% 100% 88%
Information Technology AS 83% 83% 60% 100% 100%
Information Technology - Database Administration AAS N       100%
IT Systems Support AAS 100% 100%   100%  
Liberal Arts and Sciences AA 92% 86% 92% 98% 100%
Limited Scope Radiography Diploma N N N   100%
Massage Therapy Diploma 100% 100% 100% 80% 100%
Medical Administrative Assistant AAS 83% 100% 70% 100% 80%
Medical Assistant Diploma N   100%   100%
Medical Coding and Insurance Diploma 64% 77% 67% 100% 60%
Medical Laboratory Technlogy AAS     100% 75% 100%
Medical Laboratory Technology AS 100% 100% 50% 100% N/A
Medical Office Assistant Diploma 50% 100% N/A N/A N/A
Medical Receptionist Diploma 100% 50% 100% N/A N/A
Music AFA 100% N/A   0%  
Nail Technician Certificate   100% 100%   100%
Nursing AS 98% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Paralegal AAS 75% 100% 75% 50% 67%
Payroll Specialist Diploma 100% 100% 100% 93% 100%
Phlebotomy Technician Certificate 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Plumbing Technology Diploma 100% 0% 100% 100% 100%
Political Science Transfer Pathway AA N N   N/A N/A
PowerSports Technology AAS N N 100% 100% 100%
PowerSports Technology Diploma   100% 100% 100% 100%
Practical Nursing Diploma 100% 96% 97% 96% 100%
Professional Sales Skills Certificate 80% 75%   100%  
Psychology Transfer Pathway AA N   N/A 100% N/A
Radiologic Technology AAS 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Sports Management AS N N     N/A
Surgical Technology AAS 100% 100% 86% 100% 100%
Survey Technician Certificate N 100% N/A    
Web Design Certificate 100% 50% 100% 100% 100%
COLLEGE TOTAL   92% 92% 91% 94% 96%

2021 data is the most recent publishable data as our graduates have one year to obtain employment prior to our surveying them to gather their employment information.

Definitions: 'N/A' graduates continuing education or not seeking related employment; 'N' program not yet developed.

Additional information for closed programs can be found in the related reports.

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Related Reports

M State Academic Year 2019 Graduate Placement Report

M State Academic Year 2020 Graduate Placement Report

M State Academic Year 2021 Graduate Placement Report

M State Graduate Placement History 2017-2021

 

Additional Information

Visit the M State Careers website for more information on career services the college has available for students, alumni and employers.