Measures and Goals
Undergraduate
First to Second Year Retention Rate
Rationale: Higher retention rates are the basis of higher graduation rates and are an accepted measure of student success
Benchmark: 87%, based on the highest average Annapolis Group retention rate during the past 5 years achieved by the 2017 cohort.
Calculation: retention rate is the percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who return to school the following fall. Peer group averages are calculated by averaging the rate for each institution. Peer group averages are calculated by averaging the rate for each institution.
KSCI: IPEDS Six-Year Graduation Rate
Rationale : The IPEDS 6-year graduation rate is most closely aligned with RMC’s approach to completion as embodied in the College’s 4-year degree guarantee.
Benchmark: 78%, based on the highest average Annapolis Group graduation rate during the past 5 years was 78%, set in AY 2018 and AY 2019.
Calculation: the six-year graduation rate is the percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who complete their bachelor’s degree within six years.
PANCE Total and First-time pass rates
Rationale: PANCE pass rates are an area of required reporting for ARC-PA, the national PA accrediting body.
Threshold and Benchmark: 89-90 % Total exam pass rate; 92-93% first-time pass rate, based on the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination®) pass rates at or above the national average for each cohort via the NCCPA report for Total and First-time takers from RMC
Calculation: Pass rates, found online at https://www.nccpa.net/wp- arecontent/uploads/2022/04/PANCEPassRates.pdf (Shown: 2022 rates)
Student attrition rate
Rationale: Student attrition rates are an area of required reporting for ARC-PA, the national PA accrediting body.
Threshold and Benchmark: 6.7% -10.9%. 6.7% is the national average attrition rate for the 2019 PA cohort nationwide; 10.9% reflects the threshold of one standard deviation above the national average for student attrition in PA programs (2022 data).
Calculation: Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.
SACSCOC guidance says that “In order to maximize institutional effectiveness in the area of student achievement, member institutions should also disaggregate graduation rate data by appropriate gender, ethnic, socioeconomic, and/or other student population characteristics.”
Retention Rates
Retention rates measure the percentage of first-time freshmen students who return to RMC for their sophomore years.
Fall to Fall Retention Rates by Race and Ethnicity, by Year, FTFY Cohorts
* = 5 or fewer students in initial cohort
Blank spaces indicate there were no students in the category in a particular year.
Fall to Fall Retention Rates by Gender, by Year, FTFY Cohorts
Students Who Graduated in Four, Six, and Eight Years
(First-Time in College Cohort)
Fall 2017 Cohort
(Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan, who did not receive a Pell Grant Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan Total)
Outcome Measures, 2015-16 Cohort, includes all students
(First-time in college, transfer, full-time and part-time)
*1 student in category
State Licensing
RMC tracks student achievement in areas where educational programs prepare students for specific licensure requirements.
Education: With a strong tradition of preparing outstanding teachers, RMC’s education minor is a Virginia Department of Education approved educator preparation program. Requirements for application to the program and teaching licensure in Virginia.
The Education Department tracks and publishes Candidates’ and Completers’ Performance Data, including Candidates’ Pass Rates and Performance on three required State Licensure Exams: the Praxis Core Math Assessment, the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA), and the Praxis Subject Assessment.
The Department also tracks and publishes Completers’ Performance Measures: GPAs, Graduation rates, and Job Placement rates.
The Nursing BSN program at RMC tracks and publishes its graduation rates and licensure rates at the following.