Academic Policies
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CSU implemented academic policy adjustments to increase flexibility for students. Students were able to switch any of their earned letter grades to a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory (S/U) grade after grades were posted and the course withdrawal deadline was extended. The 2020, 2021, and 2022 reports describe how students utilized these policies […]
Learning Communities
Learning Communities (LCs) at Colorado State University are a high-impact practice that bring strategically defined cohorts of students together around a common purpose to enrich learning, provide a sense of community, and empower them to become engaged campus and global citizens. The experience is highly structured, integrating within and between curricular and co-curricular elements. In […]
Transfer Student Success
The 2019 report provides an overview of transfer students admitted to the university during the 2011 through 2017 cohort years, exploring demographic characteristics, student success outcomes, as well as perceptions and experiences as captured in the annual Taking Stock survey. Transfer students comprise a significant proportion of the student population and bring diversity to the […]
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Persistence
These reports investigate 2nd Fall and 3rd Fall persistence rates by Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for recent first-time, full-time (FTFT) freshman cohorts. Analyses are conducted separately for Colorado resident freshmen and nonresident freshmen, and sub-groups of interest including First Generation students and minority students are analyzed in addition to the full cohort population. More recent analyses examine student success […]
Student Success and Financial Aid
These reports examine student success and financial aid by using a novel metric, the net cost ratio. The net cost ratio is the proportion of a student’s cost of attendance (COA) after “gift aid” (i.e., grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid) has been applied. For example, a student’s COA was $26,900 […]
Students Recommended for Support
Since 2016 CSU has used a holistic review to identify students as recommended for support (SRS) during the admissions process. The reason(s) why a student is flagged as needing extra support can include low test scores, poor high school grades in math or composition, and a student can be flagged for having a low high […]
Associations Between Student Attributes and Success
The April 2021 report uses logistic regression models to illustrate the associations between student attributes (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, high school GPA, etc.) and measures of persistence and graduation. We estimate how much more (or less) likely a student is to persist to 2nd fall or graduate within 4-6 years by having a certain attribute, relative […]
Early Performance Feedback and Course Success
Started in FA09 to enhance first-year student performance in 100-level courses, Early Performance Feedback (EPF) is a structured early warning program that helps improve academic feedback during the critical early weeks of the semester. In EPF courses instructors identify students “meeting expectations” (ME) and those “not yet meeting expectations” (NYME) within the first 4 weeks […]
On-Campus Work and Success
This report examines the relationship between on-campus employment and undergraduate student persistence and graduation. Campus employment, in addition to providing financial support, also provides opportunity for meaningful learning experiences and connection to the campus community, similar to other co-curricular experiences. This report uses student employment data in the system of record for the FA08 through FA18 first-time, […]
Academic Predictors of Success
The number of institutions of higher education using Test Optional Policies (TOPs) in admissions decisions has increased significantly in recent years, including a growing number of 4-year Colorado institutions (Colorado College, University of Denver, Colorado Christian University, and Metropolitan State University). Recent national research indicates that institutions that adopt a test-optional admissions policy experience an increase in applications as […]