Student Achievement Metrics

Commitment to Student Achievement

The University of Louisville (UofL) is committed to achievement for all of its students in fulfillment of its Strategic Plan. Based upon the strategic plan and consistent with its mission and institutional profile, UofL has identified the following key student achievement metrics to evaluate its progress toward fostering student success.

  • Six-Year Graduation Rate (Key Student Completion Indicator): The percentage of full-time, first-time, bachelors degree seeking students who graduate within six years at UofL (i.e., 150% of normal time).
  • First to Second Year Retention Rate: The percentage of full-time, first-time, bachelors degree-seeking students beginning in a fall term that are still enrolled for credit at UofL the following fall term.
  • Degrees Awarded: Defined as the first major by degree type (e.g., Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science, etc.). It includes baccalaureate, masters, doctor research, and doctor professional practice degrees (i.e., excludes certificate programs). 
  • Licensure Exam Pass Rate: Tracked by academic programs that are required to monitor passing rates by program-level accreditors and/or the majority of graduates from the program take the exam to practice a licensed profession.

The student data for six-year graduation and first to second year retention rates as well as degrees awarded are disaggregated by the following strategic sub-populations identified by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE):

  • Underrepresented Minority: Includes all students who self-identify as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, Two or More Races, or Black.
  • Underfunded: Includes all students who are Pell Grant recipients.

Six-year Graduation Rates

UofL has increased its six-year graduation rate by 5.6 percentage points between the Fall 2012 IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey (GRS) cohort (i.e., 56.6%) to the 2016 GRS cohort (i.e., 62.2%). UofL exceeded its targeted goal for the total undergraduate population for the Fall 2016 cohort. The percentage of students who identified as an underrepresented minority who graduated in six-years increased by 1.2 percentage points from the Fall 2012 cohort to the Fall 2016 cohort, but fell short of the target goal of 59.3%. The percentage of underfunded students who graduated in six-years decreased from the Fall 2012 cohort to the Fall 2016 cohort by 1.5 percentage points. 

[Enlarge Table]Six-year graduation rate

First to Second Year Retention Rates

For the Fall 2021 cohort, UofL did not achieve its goal for first to second year retention rate for the total undergraduate IPEDS Graduate Rate Survey (GRS) cohort or the identified strategic subpopulations. Prior to the Fall 2020 cohort, UofL had been making incremental progress toward achieving its targeted goal. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a greater impact upon the retention of students who identified as an underrepresented minority and/or were underfunded compared to the total population. The undergraduate total retention rate decreased by 2.7 percentage points between the Fall 2019 and Fall 2021 cohort. During the same time period, the retention rate for students who were underfunded decreased by 5.7 percentage points, and it decreased by 4 percentage points for students who identified as an underrepresented minority.

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Degrees Awarded

UofL exceeded its targeted goal for the number of degrees awarded in academic year (AY) 2021-2022 for undergraduate students who identified as an underrepresented minority and undergraduate students who were underfunded. The total of graduate and professional degrees awarded and the number of graduate and professional degrees awarded to students who identified as an underrepresented minority also exceeded the targeted goal. UofL was making incremental progress toward achieving its goal for total degrees awarded to undergraduate students by awarding 3,112 in AY 2019-2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had an effect upon degree conferrals in the following two academic years. COVID-19 also likely explains the large increase in graduate and professional degrees awarded from AY 2020-2021 to AY 2021-2022 with students delaying graduation during AY 2020-2021 until they could resume face-to-face instruction in AY 2021-2022.

[Enlarge Table]Number of Degrees Awarded

National and State Licensing Examinations

UofL gathers student pass rate data for discipline-based licensure examinations in audiology, dentistry, education, law, medicine, nursing, and speech-language pathology. The collection of licensure and certification information is decentralized and is primarily the responsibility of the academic units. Licensure exam pass rate data are used as part of the academic units’ internal strategic planning processes, and many program-level, discipline-specific accreditors require the academic programs to meet minimum thresholds of acceptability for exam pass rates to maintain accreditation. Academic units use the national and/or state pass rates to benchmark their programs.

The tables below provide the UofL pass rate for licensure exams as well as the national and/or state pass rates. 

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[Enlarge Table]DMD Licensure Exam Pass Rates

[Enlarge Table]CEHD State Licensure Exam Pass Rates

[Enlarge Table]JD Bar Exam Pass Rates

[Enlarge Table]MD Licensure Exam Pass Rate