Student Success — Retention & Graduation

Measures of Student Success in Undergraduate Programs

Adult undergraduate students enroll at institutions like Golden Gate University for a variety of reasons. Personal edification, serving as a role model for other family members, improving career options and career advancement are only a few of the reasons. In the end, there is a single goal — to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Along the journey to completing an undergraduate degree program students can often be derailed by career demands, family obligations, limited financial resources, and life in general. The higher education experience can also get in the way of a student’s success — lack of support in academic advising and navigating university policies, a poor learning experience or a lack of customer service can also interfere with reaching a graduation goal.

With a firm commitment to providing appropriate support for academic and administrative guidance while delivering a challenging, quality learning experience, the faculty and staff of Undergraduate Programs pay close attention to a number of indicators that point to student success. Retention rates: the percentage of students who start a degree program and who consistently enroll over time to reach degree attainment, and graduation rates: the number of students who start and earn their degree as well as how long it takes to reach graduation, are important factors to determine how well we are serving our students.

Average Student Success Rates

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Non-grads still taking classes after…
Cohort that started in year 2020 2018 2016 2015
Graduated within 4 Years 6 Years 8 Years 8 Years
OVERALL 77% 77.4% 70.3%
BY RACE
Asian 85% 79% 91%
Black 70% 81% 75%
Hispanic 69% 60% 56%
White 82% 79% 74%
Two or more races 100% 100% 71%
American/Alaska Native 67% 100% 100%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 100% 100% 17%
Unknown 62% 80% 74%
BY GENDER
Female 66% 75% 83%
Male 84% 80% 65%