Student Achievement

Within the institution’s core value, The Individual, the University states, “Anderson University is a people-focused community where individuals are valued and where all participants seek to honor one another through words, behavior, and a commitment to each person’s success.”

To this end, the University supports and monitors the progress of its students through several means including attainment of Dean’s List, freshman to sophomore retention rate, career preparation experience, 4- and 6-year graduation rates, the number of degrees awarded, and first destination data. Some programs make use of discipline-based nationally normed examinations. Individual colleges or schools maintain the data from these assessments.

Table A - Freshman to Sophomore Retention Rate
Table B - Population of Internship Completers
Table C - Data on Graduation Rate
Table D - First Destination Survey Data (undergraduate)

TABLE A
Freshman to Sophomore Retention Rate

Academic Year	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Fall-to-Fall Freshman to Sophomore Retention	81%	85%	84%	79%	75%	76%	74%	77%	73%	72%	72%
Size of Freshman Class	774	695	638	640	675	665	660	642	501	533	513

TABLE B
Population of Internship Completers

Year	Enrolled	Grade C or >	% Success
2010-2011	222	218	98%
2011-2012	252	232	92%
2012-2013	299	293	97%
2013-2014	334	315	94%
2014-2015	314	301	96%
2015-2016	450	447	99%
2016-2017	450	448	99%
2017-2018	532	528	99%
2018-2019	645	640	99%
2019-2020	654	643	98%
2020-2021	611	607	99%

Research in student engagement and success indicates that internships, clinical experiences, or practicum experiences are recognized as high impact practices (HIP) for students. HIP opportunities provide upper-level students with experience in a real-world setting, a strong component of success after graduation. The data in Table C shows the number of students participating in these experiences over the last four years. Longstanding required internship or clinical courses are mainstays in a variety of academic programs including art-graphic design, business— all concentrations, all undergraduate education degrees, interior design, psychology, communications, Christian ministry, and nursing has recently joined this group with the launch of its program. Several other programs offer but do not require credit for internships including history, biology, kinesiology, theatre, musical theatre, criminal justice, music, art, and Spanish.

TABLE C
Data on Graduation Rate

First-Time Freshman Cohort	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
4-year Graduation Rate	41%	43%	36%	45%	43%	47%	52%	55%	63%	51%	51%	51%
6-year Graduation Rate	47%	48%	41%	51%	48%	53%	57%	57%	65%	57%	64%	60%

Using federal definitions, graduation rates are computed for students who entered the University as new full-time freshmen. Students who transferred in and completed a degree at Anderson are excluded from the data on graduation rates. The University’s current goal is achieving a minimum six-year graduate rate of 55%. For disaggregated graduation rates including diversity of graduates, visit www.andersonuniversity.edu/colleges-schools/student-diversity-and-outcomes.

TABLE D
First Destination Survey Data (undergraduate)

Graduating Class*	# Students Surveyed	Responses	Response Rate	Employed	Service/Military	Continuing Education	Percent at work/school
2021	1372	396	29%	125	1	74	51 %
2020	665	247	37%	131	4	40	68%
2019	761	271	36%	110	0	54	61%
2018	446	161	36%	99	0	17	72%

*First-year out data for combined August, December, and May graduates per academic year Data for 2017-2018 is not considered complete at this time.

Through the combined efforts of the colleges and schools, the Career Center, and the Alumni Office, the University tracks employment and graduate school placement for students at the end of the first year following graduation. The University captures placement data at the point of graduation, and relies upon updates from alumni, which tend to trend upwards in the months following graduation. The current institutional goal is for alumni to achieve employment and graduate school placement rates at or above the level of above 60% within 24 months of graduation, and that target has already been achieved for the 2014-2015 academic year.