Program Effectiveness
Program Effectiveness:
Data at a Glance:
Graduation Rate is the percentage of a school’s students who complete their program within a specified period of time. For undergraduate programs, we will report a 4 year and a 6 year rate. This measurement is not perfect in that adult students come to the school with varying numbers of transfer credits. Their time to completion is variable depending on credit placement and transferability.
- 4 year - 53%
- 5 year - 68%
Retention Rate is the percentage of a school’s incoming new students by year who continue at that school at any point in time. For example, a student who starts in January of 2014 and remains enrolled and active in 2018 would be considered retained even if they stepped out for a semester for personal reasons. If a student started in January of 2014 and became inactive, withdrew from the program, or went to another college, they would be considered not retained. Adult learners choose different time frames for degree completion depending on their life and work situation, financial reasons, and availability of employer reimbursement funds. This measurement takes that into account and measures persistence of the student over time.
- 4 year - 79.5%
- 5 year - 75.1%
Time to Degree Completion (undergraduate programs) is the amount of time it takes an incoming student to complete their academic program. When considering the following completion timeframes, please keep in mind that many factors such as part-time status, transfer credits, prior learning, personal and professional obligations, and financial restrictions can influence an individual’s time to completion.
- 4% completed in less than one year
- 84% completed in one to three years
- 12% completed in four to six years
- 24% elected to “step out” (take a semester or session off when needed) during their program
Source: Respondents to the 2018 undergraduate exit survey
Employment Data (Undergraduate)
Many to most of the adult students pursuing undergraduate degrees with the SCPS are employed prior to and during their academic pursuits. The data below displays the impact an Elizabethtown undergraduate degree had on the careers of our 2018 graduates.
- 32% advanced in their career
- 20% changed jobs or careers
- 24% experienced an increase in income
- 64% experienced personal growth
- 44% experienced enhanced job performance
- 32% maintained their current position
- 96% of the respondents were “satisfied” to “very satisfied” with their overall undergraduate program experience
Source: Respondents to the 2018 undergraduate exit survey
Time to Degree Completion (graduate programs) is the amount of time it takes an incoming student to complete their academic program. When considering the following completion timeframes, please keep in mind that many factors such as part-time status, personal and professional obligations, and financial restrictions can influence an individual’s time to completion.
- 79% completed in one to two years
- 21% completed in three to four years
- 71% of respondents elected to “step out” (take a semester or session off when needed) during their program.
Source: Respondents to the 2018 graduate exit survey
Employment Data (Graduate)
Many to most of the adult students pursuing graduate degrees with the SCPS are employed prior to and during their academic pursuits. The data below displays the impact an Elizabethtown graduate program had on the careers of our 2018 graduates.
- 54.55% advanced in their career
- 36.36% changed jobs or careers
- 45.45% experienced an increase in income
- 100% experienced personal growth
- 72.73% experienced enhanced job performance
- 27.27% maintained their current position
- 100% of the respondents were “satisfied” to “very satisfied” with their overall graduate program experience.
Source: Respondents to the 2018 graduate exit survey
Adult Learning Survey Praises Elizabethtown
"Overall, Elizabethtown College's adult learners' levels of satisfaction beat the national average in seven out of eight measures of quality for effectiveness in serving adult learners in higher education programs."
Elizabethtown College administers the Adult Learning Inventory developed by CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) and Noel-Levitz to the adult learners in the adult degree programs every year. The focus of the report rotates between undergraduate and graduate students each year. This survey measures effectiveness in serving adult learners in higher education programs.
In the 2016-2017 administration of the surveys, adult learners expressed a high degree of satisfaction that their program allows them to pace their studies to fit their life and work schedule.
Key areas of high satisfaction for Elizabethtown College adult learners include:
- Convenient/flexible course schedules
- Academic advising
- Admissions for adult learners
- Enrollment and registration
- Brand/institutional reputation
- Valuable course content
- Fair and unbiased faculty
Overall, Elizabethtown College's adult learners' levels of satisfaction beat the national average in seven out of eight measures of quality for effectiveness in serving adult learners in higher education programs including: Institutional Effectiveness, Campus Climate, Registration Effectiveness, Academic Advising, Admissions and Financial Aid, Service Excellence, and Safety and Security.
This survey performance is a mark of excellence for the College's adult degree programs and should be a key indicator to adult learners that by choosing Elizabethtown College, they are assured they will find an educational program that will meet and exceed their expectations.
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298© 2019 Elizabethtown College