CSU Target 2015

The CSU Graduation Initiative strives to raise the freshman six-year graduation rate by eight percentage points by 2016, and cut in half the existing gap in degree attainment by CSU’s under-represented minority (URM) students.  Involving all 23 CSU campuses, the Graduation Initiative encourages campuses to establish graduation targets comparable to the top quartile of national averages of similar institutions, and to close the URM achievement gap through a series of carefully planned activities.  Campuses already in the top quartile for graduation rates have committed to increasing graduation rates an additional six percentage points, while cutting in half the gap for URM students’ degree attainment.

This initiative is closely aligned with the priorities set forth in Access to Excellence (PDF), the CSU’s Strategic Plan.  It also builds on previous system-wide projects to promote graduation, including:

• Campus Plans for Facilitating Graduation Coded Memo – August 2, 2005 (PDF)
• Report of the CSU Task Force on Facilitating Graduation – June 2002 (PDF)

Since 2002, all CSU campuses adopted best practices outlined in the Facilitating Graduation report, and several have experienced success as a result.  The Graduation Initiative is unique in that it focuses on “outputs” rather than “inputs,” or results rather than planning.  The Graduation Initiative has planted a stake in the ground by stating its results in a specific, measurable outcome and by focusing resources on achieving goals and being accountable for its ultimate target.

Since a majority of CSU students are part time, commuter students, we recognize that our major target audience only addresses a portion of our students -- the first-time, full time freshman.  Nonetheless, we are convinced that spending our time and effort learning what it will take to increase graduation rates among these students will result in quantifiable, reliable data to assist the CSU in raising all graduation rates.  

  
(The information is based on data provided by The Education Trust which utilizes IPEDS data). 

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