San Diego State University graduation rates are at a record high, with approximately 74 percent of first-time freshmen graduating in six years or less, up from 68 percent last year.
Graduation rates among underrepresented students have also increased significantly, up to 69 percent, further closing the achievement gap between all students to just five percentage points.
According to a report earlier this year from Education Trust, SDSU is one of only 26 universities in the nation to have increased six-year graduation rates for all students while also closing the achievement gap. Six years is the national reporting standard.
Furthermore, continuation rates are also steady with approximately 90 percent of last year’s first-time freshmen and new transfer students enrolled in classes this semester, a key indicator of student progress.
“Our record-high graduation rates represent a significant step forward for our university” said SDSU President Elliot Hirshman. “I am very proud of the innovative work our faculty and staff are pursuing to support student achievement, as well as the determined efforts of our students to reach their academic goals.”
SDSU’s strategic plan, “Building on Excellence,” has guided the university in creating programs and initiatives to ensure student success, including increasing the number of academic advisers and tenure track faculty, decreasing class size, investing in programs to recruit and retain underrepresented students and investing in commuter student success programs and infrastructure.
“All of the resources and programming for our diverse students at SDSU are inclusive and provide a sense of belonging,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Eric Rivera. “When students feel accepted and welcomed, they have the capacity to grow academically and personally.”
New Student Profile
The new data also shows that SDSU’s diverse incoming class continues to be competitive. This year’s cohort of 5,011 first-time freshmen have an average 3.7 high school GPA and average two-part SAT score of 1,117.
This data and much more about SDSU’s enrollment and student success is now available on the university’s Analytic Studies and Institutional Research webpage. The site allows the public to take a deeper look at the university through statistics and other common data points, including raw data as well as data visualizations.
