1. Strategies for Increasing
College Completion
David L. Buhler
Commissioner of Higher Education
August 27, 2013

2.  ―College Completion‖ is a strategic priority of the
Board of Regents
 About half of our students graduate—less than the
national average
 Presidents have been working on a number of
strategies and efforts to improve completion and
the number of graduates and are making progress
 Particular challenge for open-access institutions
Improving College Completion: A Board
of Regents Priority

3. Using Funding to Support Completion
Initiatives
 Mission Based Funding –Distinctive Mission
 2013-14 most of Distinctive Mission
 $4.3 million for completion
 40% for participation
 10% for economic development
 2013-14 Performance Funding ($1 million)
also focuses on initiatives to enhance
completion
 Institutions identified specific strategies
 Funding distributed based on results
 July 2014

4. System-Wide Steps
 Adopt proven strategies to further the
Regents’ completion agenda
 Recommendations are supported by
USHE Presidents
 Based on data and research from
Complete College America

5. Time is the Enemy
 Barriers to completion include:
 Taking fewer hours than possible
 Delayed by developmental courses
 Student confusion from too many choices
 Utah has particular challenges with
the number of students who take time
out for religious service
 Thus, we must do everything we can
to remove barriers to completion

6. Current Completion Rates
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
2 Years 3 Years 4 Years
21%
27%
32%
4%
7%
10%
Graduation Rates of AA/AS Students
at USHE Institutions
Fall 2007 Cohort (CCA)
Full-Time
Part-Time

7. Current Completion Rates
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
4 Years 6 Years
29%
47%
9%
18%
Graduation Rates of BA/BS Students
at USHE Institutions
Fall 2005 Cohort (CCA)
Full-Time
Part-Time

9. Credits Attempted System-Wide
-
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
1-5 6-11 12-14 15+
Headcount 30,769 46,723 54,491 30,546
All USHE students
Number of credits attempted
19%
29%
33%
19%

10. Completion Strategy #1
Define Full-Time as 15 Credits per Semester
 Increases likelihood of graduating on time, earning
higher grades, and higher completion rates
 Students who take more credits finish college faster
and enter the workforce sooner
 University of Hawai’i system found regardless of
preparation, students who took 15 or more hours
performed better.

11. Completion Strategy #2
Use Plateau Tuition as Incentive
 Taking more credit hours per semester maximizes
students’ tuition dollars & time
 Can result in saving one year’s cost of tuition/fees
 Students’ tuition bills are not dependent on the number
of credits they take, but are constant over time

12. Completion Strategy #3
Create ―Graduation Maps‖ for Each Major
 Provide students with clearer sense of which courses to
take when
 Help students stay on track to finish their degrees on
time
 Help institutions know which courses to offer when
 Prospective students can see what a particular major
will look like

13. First-Year Program Map for BS in Chemical Engineering
at the University of Utah
Course Prefix Course Number Course Title Credit Hours
MATH 1310 Eng Calculus 4
CHEM 1210 General Chemistry 4
CHEM 1215 General Chemistry Lab 1
WRTG 2010 Intermediate Writing 3
CH EN 1703 Intro to Chem Eng 2
ETHC 2500 Intro to Ethnic Studies 3
FIRST SEMESTER
SECOND SEMESTER
Course Prefix Course Number Course Title Credit Hours
MATH 1320 Eng Calculus II 4
CHEM 1220 General Chemistry II 4
CHEM 1225 General Chemistry Lab II 1
PHYS 2210 Phycs for Scien & Eng I 4
CH EN 1705 Chem Eng Design & Innov 3
CH EN 4755 Undergraduate Seminar .5
TOTAL CREDITS: 17
TOTAL CREDITS: 16.5
Source: University of Utah Course Catalog 2013-14

14. Completion Strategy #4
Improve Success of Developmental Math
 40% of Utah college students are placed in
developmental courses
 Fewer than 50% of students move on to college-level
math within two years
 Encouraging students to enroll in math their first year will
help them move on to college-level courses in a timely
manner

15. Completion Strategy #5
Institute Reverse Transfer/Stackable Credentials
 Students who receive associate degree are more likely to
complete four-year degree
 Those who don’t finish will at least have one credential
on their resumes
 Reverse transfer allows a student’s achievements to be
recognized with an associate degree after they’ve
transferred to a four-year school

16. Getting the word out on Completion

17. Getting the word out on Completion

18. Board of Regents’ Resolution Providing
Direction to Institutions in Five Areas
1. Establishing 15 credits as the standard for ―full-
time.‖
2. Setting plateau tuition to provide a financial
incentive focused on 12-15 credit hours.
3. For new students without college math
credit, encourage them to enroll in math during
the first year and successful transitions from
developmental to for-credit math.
4. Create accessible graduation maps for each
major.
5. Carefully explore feasibility of implementing
reverse transfer/stackable credentials.