UMass Boston Retention Persistence and Graduation Rates UMass

UMass Boston Retention, Persistence, and Graduation Rates UMass Boston Advising Collaborative March 28, 2013 Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies Kevin B. Murphy

There have been significant changes in enrollment since fall 2002. Fall 2002 Fall 2012 Percent Change 12, 719 15, 874 25% 21% 24% 13% Mean Age of Undergraduates 27 25 -7% Median Age of Undergraduates 23 22 -4% New Students 1, 958 3, 095 58% New Freshmen 576 1, 267 120% New Transfers 1, 382 1, 828 32% Percentage of Freshmen 29% 41% 39% International Freshmen 23 223 870% International Transfers 64 64 0% 45% 37% -18% Measures Total Enrollment Percent Graduate Students Percent of Freshmen Identifying as White NH Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Notes on Retention and Graduation Rates • A school’s retention rate is the percentage of fall entering, firsttime, full-time freshmen that returns to that same school for the second fall semester. • A school’s six-year graduation rate is the percentage of the firsttime full-time freshman cohort who receive bachelor’s degrees from that school within six years of that first enrollment. • Persistence is continuing enrollment after returning for the second year. • Everyone remains in the cohort except for those who enter the military, go on a religious mission, or die. • Not included – Transfers – Part-time freshmen – Spring entering full-time freshmen Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Retention Rates, Fall 2002 to Fall 2011 Cohorts Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Persistence to the third year has not seen as much improvement. Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Retention Rates by Gender, 2002 to 2011 Cohorts Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Retention Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 2007 to 2011 Cohorts Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

There are significant differences in retention between immigrant and international students and U. S. born students. Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Immigrants and International students have recently become a larger proportion of the freshman cohort. Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

We are about to report the six-year graduation rate for the fall 2006 cohort. Several things stood out and we have seen them in previous cohorts. • Men trail women significantly, and the effect crosses all racial/ethnic groups. • Neither Verbal nor Math SAT scores are significantly related to graduating at UMass Boston • High school GPA is positively and significantly related to graduating • Participation in the Student Support Services program is positively and significantly related to graduating • In multivariate analyses, being Hispanic is negatively related to graduating • Among U. S. residents, immigrants were significantly more likely to graduate than native citizens • Students entering the College of Management or the College of Nursing and Health Sciences were more likely to graduate than students entering the other colleges Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

There were some differences by group, but only gender, immigrant status, and (in some models) being Hispanic were significant. Number Entered Number Graduated Women Men Asian P/I Black NH Hispanic International 484 209 362 157 117 97 34 112 63 42 29 16 43. 2% 30. 9% 40. 1% 35. 9% 29. 9% 47. 1% Unknown/Refused 51 22 43. 1% White NH Immigrants U. S. Born Total 388 129 681 846 147 64 240 319 37. 9% 49. 6% 35. 2% 37. 7% Group Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies Graduation Rate

The differences by gender were large and were seen in all racial/ethnic groups. Group Women Men Difference Significance Asian P/I 45. 1% 34. 7% 10. 5% No Black NH* 41. 2% 21. 9% 19. 3% P<. 05 Hispanic 33. 3% 22. 6% 10. 8% No International 63. 6% 39. 1% 24. 5% No Unknown/Refused 50. 0% 36. 0% 14. 0% No White NH 43. 7% 30. 9% 12. 8% P<. 01 Total 42. 8% 30. 9% 11. 8% P<. 001 Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

Conclusion The issues of retention, persistence, and graduation rates at UMass Boston are difficult and complicated by the fact that UMass Boston has no student housing. In discussing environmental factors that contribute to remaining in college, Alexander Astin found that: “Probably the most important and pervasive was the student's residence. Living in a campus residence was positively related to retention, and this positive effect occurred in all types of institutions and among all types of students regardless of sex, race, ability, or family background” (Journal of College Student Development, 40 -5, p. 523). Office of Institutional Research and Policy Studies