2005-2006 University System of Georgia Annual Report Card

Welcome!

The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) was established July 1, 2000 by the state law known as the A Plus Education Act. The mission of GOSA is to provide accountability for all of Georgia's education system from prekindergarten through postsecondary levels that will result in:

      Improving student achievement and
      Improving school completion.

As part of this mission, GOSA is proud to present the annual report on the University System of Georgia (USG). USG's Board of Regents was created in 1931 to unify public higher education under a single governing body. The Board governs 35 institutions that are organized into five sectors: 4 research universities, 2 regional universities, 13 state universities, 7 state colleges, and 9 two-year colleges. To learn more about USG institutions, visit the USG website: http://www.usg.edu/

2005-2006 Annual Report Card:

GOSA's annual report card on USG focuses on three indicators:

• Retention rates.
• Graduation rates.
• Pass rates on the Regents' exams.

Data are reported as provided to GOSA by USG. The above indicators are reported for the USG as a whole, for each sector, and for each of the 35 institutions. GOSA reports these indicators for all students as well as by race/ethnicity and gender. The race/ethnic categories included for USG are Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, White, and Multiracial. When data are available, the indicators also are reported for students with the federal Pell grant and those without the Pell grant, using Pell as a proxy indicator for financial need or socioeconomic status.

A Word About Sectors: USG colleges and universities vary widely in mission. The mission of a college or university defines its purpose, the number and types of academic programs it offers, its complexity, and other activities such as research, continuing education, economic development, and public service. Universities and colleges differ in mission, and those missions are organized into sectors. Research universities offer doctoral and first professional programs, masters, and bachelors' degree programs, perform basic and applied research, and provide public service. Regional and state universities have a more limited research mission. Several offer doctorates in education and masters degrees in a wide variety of areas; all offer bachelors degrees. State colleges offer a limited number of bachelors programs and many associate programs. Two-year colleges offer certificates and both career and transfer associate programs along with support for students who are not prepared to begin college-level work. In addition, a major function of most two-year colleges is to prepare students for transfer to a four-year college or university. Institutions also vary widely within sectors. Universities that serve predominantly full-time traditional-aged students are different in mission than those that serve part-time and older students. Whether an institution is residential or not also makes a difference in mission. All these factors should be considered when evaluating an institution of higher education.

Retention Rates

Retention rates for an institution of higher education are an indicator of the institution's success in keeping students enrolled from their first year to their second year. Retention rates reflect the percentage of fall semester first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen that continue enrollment the following fall semester. This report presents both institution-specific retention rates and System retention rates. Institution-specific retention rates show the percentage of fall semester freshmen that remain enrolled at the same college or university the next fall semester. System retention rates show the percentage of fall semester students that are in the same institution the next fall plus those who are enrolled in some other USG institution. Retention rates for the System as a whole, for each sector, and for each institution are presented in GOSA's web reports. Results based on disaggregations by race/ethnicity and gender and Pell status are also reported.

Graduation Rates

USG institutions offer a variety of degrees, programs, and certificates. GOSA's web reports present information on (1) six-year graduation rates for baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree programs, (2) three-year associate degree graduation rates plus transfer rates, and (3) two-year completion rates for one-year certificates. Each type of rate is for a base cohort of first-time degree-seeking freshmen, but the cohort is limited to those seeking a particular degree. This report presents both institution-specific graduation rates and System graduation rates. Institution-specific graduation rates show the percentage of first-time, fulltime freshman who graduated from that the same institution at which they matriculated. Systemwide graduation rates reflect those students who entered as a freshman into an institution and graduated at the same or another institution within the USG. The data provided by USG show graduation rates assessed at 1.5 times the nominal program duration (i.e., "time-and-a-half" graduation rates). The nominal length of a baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree program is typically four years (although there are a few five-year bachelor's degree programs at some USG institutions). Consequently, the bachelor's degree graduation rates provided by USG show the percent of first-time, full-time, bachelor's degree-seeking students that earn a bachelor's degree within six years. The nominal duration for associate degrees is two years; certificates range from one to two years. For associate degrees, the "time-and-a-half" rates provided by USG show the percentage of students completing the associate and/or transferring to a four-year institutions within a three-year period. The certificate program completion rates provided by USG show the percentage of students completing a certificate program in two years. The graduation rates are also shown disaggregated by race/ethnicity and by gender.

Regents' Skills Requirement Completion Rates

By a policy statement issued in 1972, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia instituted the requirement that each institution of the University System of Georgia ensure that students obtaining a degree possess certain minimum skills of reading and writing. These skills are referred to as the Regents' Writing and Reading Skills. There are two System-mandated courses in writing and in reading that are designed to meet the Regents' Writing and Reading Skills requirement.

Students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs leading to the baccalaureate degree must satisfy the Regents' Reading Skills and Regents' Writing Skills requirements in order to graduate. Students may exempt these courses through examination by passing the Regents' Reading Test and the Regents' Essay Test or an approved alternative test. Students who have earned 45 credit hours and have not passed or exempted the courses must take the Regents' Skills courses during each subsequent semester of enrollment. Students enrolled in a Regents' Skills course must pass the corresponding Regents' Test in order to receive a passing grade for the course.

The completion rate of the Regents' Skills (RS) requirements sophomores with 45 hours who have taken the Regents' Test and passed it, plus those who have satisfied the RS Requirement through one of the approved exemptions. Detailed information about the Regents' Skills Requirement is available on the USG website: http://www.gsu.edu/rtp/.

The information provided by USG shows for each institution the percentage of sophomores with 45 hours who have satisfied the Regents' Skills Requirements. This information is disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender.