Student Achievement
The mission of Agnes Scott College is to educate “women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.” The college carries out this mission by offering a liberal arts curriculum enhanced by SUMMIT, Agnes Scott’s unique approach to undergraduate education immersing students in global education and leadership development.
Agnes Scott’s ultimate goal is for all students to persist in their studies and graduate in a timely manner. In evaluating student success with respect to the college’s mission, Agnes Scott has selected first-year retention and graduation rates, as well as time to degree, as criteria for success. Over the past five years, Agnes Scott has consistently exceeded performance thresholds and on average has met its targets.
First-to-Second Year Retention
First-to second year retention is a criterion for success. Agnes Scott aims to meet or exceed the average for the college’s peer institutions, currently 84 percent, with a minimally acceptable threshold of performance to be the national average for private, non-profit four-year colleges, currently 81 percent.
While fluctuating from year to year, the rate at which first-year students return for their sophomore year has averaged 84 percent over the past five years, above the national average for both four-year private and public institutions. The college’s retention rate is on par with its peers at 84 percent.
| Students Entering in: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 5-Year Average | |
| Agnes Scott College | 87% | 79% | 85% | 83% | 84% | 84% |
| Peer Institutions | 84% | 83% | 85% | 83% | 83% |
84% |
| Private Nonprofit Four-Year Institutions | 81% | 81% | 82% | 81% | 81% |
81% |
| Public Four-Year Institutions | 81% | 81% | 82% | 82% | 81% | 81% |
Six-year Graduation Rate
The six-year graduation rate is another criterion for success. Agnes Scott aims to meet or exceed the average for the college’s peer institutions, currently 71 percent, with a minimally acceptable threshold of performance to be the national average for four-year colleges, currently 66 and 58 percent for private and public institutions, respectively.
Agnes Scott’s six-year graduation rate over the past five years averages 71 percent, above the threshold national averages of 66 and 58 percent for private and public four-year institutions, respectively. The college’s average six-year graduation rate of 71 percent is in line with its peers’ rate of 71 percent. For the last two graduating cohorts, Agnes Scott exceeded the average peer rate.
| Students Entering in: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 5-Year Average | |
| Agnes Scott College | 66% | 69% | 73% | 72% | 75% | 71% |
| Peer Institutions | 71% | 71% | 72% | 71% | 72% | 71% |
| Private Nonprofit Four-Year Institutions | 65% | 66% | 67% | 67% | 68% | 66% |
| Public Four-Year Institutions | 55% | 57% | 58% | 59% | 59% | 58% |
Graduates Completing in Four Years
Although there are good and valid reasons for a student to take extra time to graduate--for example, enrolling in a 3-2 dual-degree program--Agnes Scott undergraduates can expect to be able to enroll in all the courses they need to graduate within four years.
The percentage of graduates who complete their degree in four years is a criterion for success. Agnes Scott aims to meet or exceed the average for the college’s peer institutions, currently 90 percent, with a minimally acceptable threshold of performance to be the national average for four-year colleges, currently 87 and 65 percent for private and public institutions, respectively.
Over the past five years, 93 percent of Agnes Scott graduates completed their degree within four years, well above the threshold national averages of 87 and 65 percent for private and public institutions, respectively. The percent of graduates completing within four years at Agnes Scott also exceeds the average among its peers.
| Full-time, first-time students entering in: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 5-Year Average | |
| Agnes Scott College | 91% | 92% | 95% | 94% | 93% | 93% |
| Peers | 90% | 90% | 89% | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Private Nonprofit 4-year | 86% | 86% | 87% | 87% | 89% | 87% |
| Public 4-year | 62% | 63% | 65% | 67% | 69% | 65% |
Program Completion Rate in Graduate Programs
Agnes Scott College launched a small suite of programs at the graduate level in fall 2018. The program completion rate is the criterion for success for graduate programs. The college’s target is 80 percent of students will complete a graduate certificate within two years after matriculation or a master's degree within four years, with a minimally acceptable threshold of 60 percent.
For the cohorts seeking a graduate certificate, 36 percent had completed a certificate within two years. However, an additional 30 of the remaining cohort went on to complete a master's degree within four years. For the entering cohorts seeking a master's degree, 71 percent had completed a master's degree within four years.
Additional information on student achievement and student outcomes may be found here.
This information is provided in compliance with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College’s Core Requirement 8.1. The SACSCOC Key Student Completion Indicator is graduation data reported on the SACSCOC Annual Profile.