UPDATE ON FRESHMAN COHORT - FALL 2000

Compared to the 1998 freshman cohort, the one-year retention rate for the Freshman cohort of 1999 decreased slightly, from 74.2 to 72.7%.   In view of the problems with overcrowding last Fall, this decline is not surprising.  Despite this decline in overall retention, a very significant portion of the 1999 class is doing very well.  The 19 class set a record for the number of students returning for year two with a GPA of 2.0 or better and 30 or more earned hours.  35.3% of this class met this standard.  This number is better even than the 1996 cohort which, with 33.2% in this category, had held the highest mark in this area. 

The two-year and three-year retention rates for the 1997 and 1998 cohorts, respectively, also declined slightly in comparison to previous years.  The two year retention rate for the 1997 cohort declined slightly, 57.5% t0 55.3% in comparison to the previous year.  At the same time the difference in the three-year retention rates for the 1996 and 1997 cohorts was virtually unchanged , from 48.8% to 48.7.

*FYI was implemented with 1995 group.

The cumulative academic performance of the 2000 cohort at the end of the first semester fell below that of the 1999 Freshman Cohort, but was comparable to other cohorts.  

The average earned hours was 11.94, lower than the 1999 class, but higher than three previous classes

The percentage of students who finished the semester was 92.8%.

71.5%  of the 2000 cohort earned a GPA of 2.0 or higher, down from the record number from 1999, though the second highest percentage compared to previous classes. 

The cumulative GPA for the 2000 freshman class was 2.38, down from the 2.5 GPA of the 1999 cohort, but comparable with the GPA of previous classes.

 Retention and Graduation Rates

The following table shows the retention and graduation rates of freshman classes since 1990. The chart also shows the number of students in each class, and the average SAT scores and high school GPAs for each group as well.

*unofficial number - subject to change with further verification, and as students complete graduation requirements in summer.

The unofficial four-year graduation for the 1997 cohort is 17.4%. This number is subject to change as some students complete graduation requirements in the summer. While this number is lower than the rate for the 1996 cohort, it is still one of the highest in the past eight years.

Several important trends are evident in these data. The one-year retention rate was lowest for the freshman class of 1994 (64.6%), but the retention has risen each year since 1994, as have the two year retention rates. The 1991 freshman class had the best four-year graduation rate (19.5%) of any of the classes listed here; more students from the 1991 cohort (45.2%) have earned degrees than from any other cohort. The table also shows a decline in the academic preparation of our freshman classes as measured by SAT scores and high school GPAs. The average SAT score for incoming freshmen has dropped every year since 1993; the average high school GPA of the 1998 freshman cohort (2.66) was the lowest average high school GPA of all the classes listed in the table. The increase in retention rates over the past four years, despite the decline in average SAT scores and high school GPAs (usually correlated with retention), suggests that the programs of the University are making a positive difference in the success rates of our students.

Student Support Services - "Bronco Students"

Beginning in Fall 1998, during the Block Registration process, students whose SAT score, high school GPA, and profile scores indicated that they were especially at risk of academic failure were designated as "Bronco students" and enrolled in Student Support Services, which provided for them intensive academic support. were identified as "Bronco students" (the 1998 group is referred to as "Bronco I" to distinguish them from the 1999 group, which we refer to as Bronco II) and scheduled for intensive academic support. At the beginning of the 1999 academic year, these students’ progress was compared was to that of the 1998 freshman class as a whole.

Status of 1998 "Bronco I students" - Fall 1999

Status of 1998 "Bronco I students" Spring 2000

These data show that the non-Broncos have an average SAT score that 106 points higher than the Broncos; the average high school GPA of the non-Broncos is nearly half a point higher than the Broncos ( 2.72 to 2.36); that the profile exam scores of the non-Broncos is significantly higher than the Broncos (MATH 9.83 to 6.68; Reading 11.63 to 9.46).

Despite the significant differences in these indicators of academic ability, these students were retained into year two at a much higher rate, approximately 15 percentage points, than the class as a whole (88.5 to 73.2%). The percentage of the Broncos that have persisted to the end of Spring 2000 is slightly higher than the class as a whole (62.9% to 59.1%). While the average earned hours and GPAs are lower for the Bronco’s than non-Broncos, the differences are not nearly as pronounced as would be expected given the differences in their entering academic ability.

In Fall 1999, 125 students were invited to participate in Student Support Services. Forty-Nine of these students, which we refer to as "Bronco II," participated in the program. At the end of the 1999-2000 year, the academic progress of these 49 students compares very favorably to the class as a whole, despite the Bronco II students’ increased risk of academic failure. The quality of assistance provided through Students Support Services is especially evident if the progress of the Bronco II group is compared to that of the students invited to participate, but who did not participate. While the Bronco II group is slightly below the freshman class as a whole in earned hours and average GPA, (25.7 to 24.45 earned hours and 2.43 to 2.27 GPA) they are well ahead in both areas as compared to those who were invited into the program, but did not participate (24.45 to 21.57 earned hours and 2.27 to 2.05 GPA).

Want more assessment data? For more detailed assessment data for FSU and all other UNC institutions, go the to report from UNC General Administration "Retention, Graduation, and Persistence Rates of First-Time Freshmen"