Graduate Outcomes

Goal: Randolph College graduates will complete their degrees in a timely fashion.

Measure: Percentage of first-time, first-year students graduating from Randolph College who graduate within four years of entering.

Target: A rolling five-year average of 85% of students who enter the College as first-time, first-year students and who go on to graduate will complete their degrees in four years.

Aspirational Target: A rolling five-year average of 90% of students who enter the College as first-time, first-year students and who go on to graduate will complete their degrees in four years.

Results: Of the students who enter Randolph College as first-time, first-year students and who graduate from the College, 88% do so within four years (five-year average). This figure meets the baseline target and near the aspirational target. (Targets will remain as they are for the time being as we continue to monitor trends.)

Note: In calculating four-year graduates as a percentage of all graduates, the latter number is finalized when Randolph College reports six-year graduation rates to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Therefore, the most recent percentage is that of the incoming class that matriculated about six years ago (and has been reported to IPEDS).

Goal: Randolph College students will persist at the College to graduation.

Measure: Percentage of students who earn a Randolph College degree within six years of entering.

Note: This metric is a standard measure used in reporting to the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [IPEDS]. It includes all new, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students. It should be noted that this number is as much a retention-vs-attrition rate as it is an academic success rate. With cohorts whose retention rate is low (as with those in years just after the College went coed), the subsequent graduation rate will also be low.

Target: A rolling five-year average of 50% of new, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students will earn a Randolph College degree within six years of entering.

Aspirational Target: A rolling five-year average of 60% of new, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students will earn a Randolph College degree within six years of entering.

Results:  New Randolph students earn degrees within six years at a rate of 53%. This figure meets the baseline target. Based on what we already know of current retention trends, these figures will rise sharply in future reporting.

Note: Six-year graduation rates are finalized when Randolph College reports them to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Therefore, the most recent percentage is that of the incoming class that matriculated about six years ago (and has been reported to IPEDS).

Goal: Randolph College students with financial need will persist and graduate.

Measure: Six-year graduation rates for first-time, first-year students who are eligible for Pell grants.

Note: This metric is a standard measure used in reporting to the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [IPEDS]. It includes all new, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students who were awarded Pell grants. It should be noted that this number is as much a retention-vs-attrition rate as it is an academic success rate. With cohorts whose retention rate is low (as with those in years just after the College went coed), the subsequent graduation rate will also be low.

Target: A rolling five-year average of 50% of Randolph College first-time, first-year students who are eligible for Pell grants will remain at the college and graduate within six years.

Aspirational Target: A rolling five-year average of 55% of Randolph College first-time, first-year students who are eligible for Pell grants will remain at the college and graduate within six years.

Results: Entering first-time, first-year Randolph College students who are eligible for Pell grants graduate at a rate of 45% (four-year average), falling short of both the baseline and aspirational targets. The College continues to monitor trends and take action to improve persistence to graduation in students of financial need, which is part of the new Randolph College Strategic Plan. Based on what we already know of current retention trends, these figures will rise sharply in future reporting.

Note: Six-year graduation rates are finalized when Randolph College reports them to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Therefore, the most recent percentage is that of the incoming class that matriculated about six years ago (and has been reported to IPEDS).

Goal: Randolph College students of color will persist and graduate.

Measure: Six-year graduation rates for first-time, first-year students of color.*

*Students of color are defined here as students who are reported as having a race/ethnicity other than “white non-Hispanic,” “non-resident alien,” or “race/ethnicity unknown” with respect to the categories used by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

Target: A rolling five-year average of 50% of Randolph College first-time, first-year students of color will remain at the college and graduate within six years.

Aspirational Target: A rolling five-year average of 55% of Randolph College first-time, first-year students of color will remain at the college and graduate within six years.

Results: Entering first-time, first-year Randolph College students of color graduate at a rate of 47% (five-year average), falling short of both the baseline and aspirational targets. The College continues to monitor trends and take action to improve persistence to graduation in students of color, which is part of the new Randolph College Strategic Plan. Based on what we already know of current retention trends, these figures will rise sharply in future reporting.

Note: Six-year graduation rates are finalized when Randolph College reports them to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Therefore, the most recent percentage is that of the incoming class that matriculated about six years ago (and has been reported to IPEDS).

Goal: Randolph College students will complement their academic educations with co-curricular internships.

Measure: Percentage of the graduating class who participate in internships by the time of graduation.

Target: A rolling five-year average of 60% or more of graduating students will participate in internships.

Aspirational Target: A rolling five-year average of 65% or more of graduating students will participate in internships.

Results: A five-year average of 49% of Randolph College graduates completed internships at some point in their undergraduate careers, falling short of both the baseline and aspirational targets. Importantly, the low figures for the graduating classes of 2021 and after were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (which made traditional internships impossible). The College will continue to monitor trends and may omit that 2021 year in future calculations.

Goal: Randolph College students will borrow no more for their college educations than they are able to repay.

Measure: Student loan default rates (that is, the annual “three-year” rate as defined  by the United States Department of Education, calculated in a fiscal year [FY] basis).

Target: Using a five-year rolling average, Randolph College graduates will default on their student loans at a rate that is at least three percentage points lower than the national average for four-year colleges.

Aspirational Target: Using a five-year rolling average, Randolph College graduates will default on their student loans at a rate of less than 5%.

Results: Consistently, the student loan default rates for Randolph College graduates have been significantly lower than national averages, and the College approximated its baseline target by coming in at 2.36 percentage points lower than the five-year rolling national average. The aspirational target remains in sight. It should be noted that The across-the-board decrease in student loan default rates for the 2020 cohort can be attributed in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and related federal relief measures, including a federal student loan repayment pause, extended forbearance and deferment options, economic relief measures, and temporary suspension of collections on defaulted loans.

*Note: As of Summer 2021, FY17 default rates represent the most current data available from the Federal Student Aid Data Center.