What is Student Right-To-Know?
Student Right-To-Know is a federal law that requires all colleges and universities to disclose certain information to students. This handout provides the information that a college must provide to students on graduation rates and transfer-out rates for full-time students seeking degrees at Lake Superior College (LSC).
What is a graduation rate and what is a transfer-out rate?
Federal regulations specify how to calculate the graduation and transfer rates. The rates come from a study of LSC students who started at the college in the fall of 2020. The study includes all first-time students who enrolled full-time that fall and were seeking to earn a degree, diploma or certificate at the college. The graduation rate is the percentage of these students who graduated from LSC within three years. The transfer-out rate is the percentage of these students who did not graduate from LSC, but instead transferred to another college or university within three years.
What do I need to know about these rates?
These rates do not report on all students at LSC. The 401 first-time, full-time students in the study were 8 percent of all students enrolled at LSC in fall of 2020.
What are the graduation and transfer-out rates for LSC students and how do they compare to rates for other colleges?
- The graduation rate for LSC was 38 percent.
- The transfer-out rate for LSC was 21 percent.
- The combination of the graduation rate and the transfer-out rate for LSC was 59 percent. The national average combined rate for similar colleges was 48 percent.
Why don’t more LSC students graduate or transfer in three years?
- Since Lake Superior College has an “open door” mission, many new students need to take “developmental” courses to improve their reading, writing or math skills before taking other college courses;
- Students who switch from full-time to part-time enrollment or “stop out” for one or more semesters are more likely to take more than three years to graduate;
- Some students take jobs before they graduate;
- Other students delay their education for personal, family or financial reasons.
| Lake Superior College | Graduation Rate | Transfer-out Rate | Combined Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cohort | 38% | 21% | 59% |
| Race Ethnicity | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | * | * | * |
| Asian | * | * | * |
| Black or African American | * | * | * |
| Hispanic of any race | 42% | 21% | 63% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | * | * | * |
| U.S. Nonresident | * | * | * |
| Two or more races | 24% | 19% | 43% |
| Unknown race and ethnicity | * | * | * |
| White | 40% | 20% | 54% |
| Gender | |||
| Female | 43% | 22% | 65% |
| Male | 34% | 20% | 54% |
| Financial Aid | |||
| Pell Grant Recipient | 32% | 20% | 51% |
| Received neither Pell nor Subsidized Stafford Loans | 41% | 21% | 62% |
| Received Subsidized Stafford Loans, but no Pell | 45% | 24% | 69% |
*Suppressed to protect student privacy.
Due to rounding, percentages may not always appear to add up.
Students in many programs must pass licensing or credentialing exams to qualify for employment in their fields or be competitive in the job market.
Link:
In accordance with Minnesota State board policy, each year Lake Superior College surveys its most recent graduates one year after graduation. The survey determines whether graduates are available for employment and whether they are employed in a field related to their studies.
Each year, updated graduate placement data is posted as soon as the results of the most recent survey are available. However, due to the methodology, results can lag graduation by 2-3 years.
The most recent survey results indicate that 90% of the 2023 graduates available for employment found jobs related to their educational program within one year of graduation. See Status of Graduates Summary below for additional detail.
Links:
- LSC Data – Status of Graduates Summary
- Minnesota State Policy – Graduate Follow-up Survey
The LSC College-Wide Learning Outcomes describe the knowledge, skills, and responsibilities that students should acquire as a result of their studies at LSC. The outcomes are organized into three sections:
1. Professional and Personal Responsibilities, including:
Professional demeanor
Initiative and accountability
Adherence to organizational expectations
Self-development and lifelong learningDemonstrated through appropriate behaviors
2. Foundational Knowledge of the Intellectual, Social, and Natural World, through study in:
Career-focused programs
Liberal arts
SciencesFocused by engagement with discipline-specific questions, both contemporary and enduring
3. Intellectual and Practical Skills, including
Critical and creative thinking
Information literacy
Inquiry and analysis
Quantitative literacy
Synthesis and application
Teamwork and problem solving
Written and oral communicationPracticed extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance
4. Social Responsibilities, including
Awareness and practice of sustainability
Civic involvement
Ethical reasoning and action
Intercultural competenceAnchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges.
Links:
For each fall full-time entering student cohort, retention and success rates are tracked over multiple academic terms. The Retention Rate represents the percentage of returning students, while the Success Rate reflects students who were retained, graduated, or transferred.
| Entering Term | Headcount | 1st Spring | 2nd Fall | 2nd Spring | 3rd Fall | 3rd Spring | 4th Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | 531 | 82% | 53% | ||||
| Fall 2021 | 568 | 75% | 48% | 40% | 18% | ||
| Fall 2020 | 572 | 76% | 45% | 35% | * | 8% | 4% |
| Fall 2019 | 669 | 83% | 51% | 41% | 19% | 14% | 6% |
| Fall 2018 | 701 | 81% | 52% | 42% | 17% | 12% | 8% |
| Fall 2017 | 665 | 78% | 51% | 42% | 19% | 12% | 6% |
*Suppressed by Power BI Report. Retention rate is between and 10.9% and 11.9%
| Entering Term | Headcount | 1st Spring | 2nd Fall | 2nd Spring | 3rd Fall | 3rd Spring | 4th Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | 531 | 85% | 71% | ||||
| Fall 2021 | 568 | 80% | 68% | 64% | 64% | ||
| Fall 2020 | 572 | 81% | 70% | 66% | 63% | 63% | 65% |
| Fall 2019 | 669 | 87% | 68% | 64% | 63% | 63% | 63% |
| Fall 2018 | 701 | 85% | 73% | 67% | 65% | 63% | 66% |
| Fall 2017 | 665 | 84% | 73% | 70% | 66% | 65% | 65% |
Success Rate is based on Retention, Transfer, and Graduation combined
