Student Success Profile
Student Success Profile
Georgia Gwinnett College's mission says that we will "provide access to targeted baccalaureate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region" and that we "produce contributing citizens and future leaders for Georgia and the nation." GGC's Institutional Goals include the following:
- Produce graduates who can anticipate and respond effectively to the changing world,
- Inspire graduates to be contributing citizens and community leaders, and
- Achieve significant levels of student success in retention, progression, and graduation.
These goals make it clear that GGC is committed to high levels of student achievement, both during the student's time at GGC and after graduation. GGC monitors several types of data to assess its success in meeting these goals.
Early Course Completion Patterns
Early success, and particularly early success in critical gateway classes, is essential for students to develop confidence in their ability to complete a degree and a growth or academic mindset. Therefore, GGC's first set of student success metrics monitors the extent to which GGC students meet the fundamental early milestones. These include (a) completion of 30 college credits within the first twelve months of enrollment, (b) completion of math and English in the first twelve months of enrollment, and (c) completion of nine credit hours related to a focus area or meta-major.
The running three-year average of each measure is used to better capture the college’s long-term effectiveness in supporting students. Comparison data for the University System of Georgia State College sector is used to set a goal or target value. Target values are tied to the college’s strategic plan and are goals for 2025. The table below shows the current three-year average for the first two of the metrics listed above as well as GGC's long-term goal for each.
| % of first-time freshmen passing college level English and Math in first 12 months (3-year average) | % of first-time freshmen earning 30 or more college level credits in first 12 months (3-year average) | |
|---|---|---|
| GGC | 44.23 | 17.42 |
| 2025 Target | 55.31 | 28.63 |
Student Retention and Graduation
A second clear marker of success is degree completion and graduation. As a state college within the University System of Georgia (USG), GGC serves both to offer baccalaureate programs for native and transfer-in students and as a transfer-out, feeder institution for others within the system. Recognizing this important role, GGC monitors first year retention both at GGC and within the USG. In addition, GGC monitors four-year and six-year graduation rates for students who either start or transfer to GGC and complete at any USG institution. As with first-year success measures, GGC has used the performance of other state colleges to establish 2025 target values. Target and current values of these metrics are shown below.
| First-year Retention at GGC | First-year Retention within USG | Four-year Graduation Rate within USG | Six-year Graduation Rate within USG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GGC 3-Year Average | 60% | 68% | 5% | 18% |
| 2025 Target | 70% | 75% | 10% | 35% |
Another way GGC considers retention and graduation is by recognizing the large number of students who transfer to the college and complete their degrees. Transfer students start at different points in their pathways to success. Four-, six- and eight-year graduation rates of students who both start and finish at GGC, and who transfer to and finish at GGC, are key student completion indicators for the college. The table below provides four-, six- and eight-year graduation rates, minimum thresholds of acceptability, and 2030 goals for success, for these three key student completion indicators.
A cohort of new students includes all first-time freshmen (FTF) and all students who transferred into GGC in each fall semester.
| 4-year Graduation Rate, FTF and Transfer | 6-year Graduation Rate, FTF and Transfer | 8-year Graduation Rate, FTF and Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Threshold of Acceptability | 12% | 23% | 27% |
| 2030-31 Target | 15% | 26% | 30% |
GGC is also committed to understanding and supporting the diversity of its student population, which reflects the diversity of Gwinnett County. The table below provides snapshots of the four-, six- and eight-year graduation rates of GGC students by race and ethnicity.
| Graduation Rates by Race / Ethnicity | 4-year Graduation Rate | 6-year Graduation Rate | 8-year Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall GGC | 11.1% | 22.1% | 27.7% |
| Black | 7.4% | 15.9% | 19.76% |
| Hispanic / Latinx | 9.1% | 23.4% | 31.86% |
| White | 16.5% | 28% | 32.3% |
| Asian | 20.3% | 33.3% | 34% |
| American Indian, Pacific Islander, Two or More Races, and Race / Ethnicity Unknown | 11.9% | 22.8% | 27.2% |
GGC also knows that many students seek GGC because of its affordability and acquire federal Pell Grants to attend. The tables below provide seven-year averages, from 2016-2022, of retention rates for first-time freshmen and transfer-in populations, by race/ethnicity, and by Pell Grant recipient status, respectively.
| Retention Rates by Race / Ethnicity | Year 1 Retention | Year 2 Retention | Year 3 Retention | Year 4 Retention | Year 5 Retention | Year 6 Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall GGC Student Population | 58.0% | 39.8% | 28.9% | 19.8% | 11.2% | 6.3% |
| Black | 51.1% | 33.9% | 45.6% | 40.3% | 50.7% | 44.3% |
| Hispanic / Latinx | 63.6% | 45.6% | 35.0% | 19.5% | 13.3% | 9.1% |
| White | 58.1% | 40.3% | 28.0% | 17.3% | 22.9% | 21.0% |
| Asian | 67.9% | 50.7% | 35.7% | 22.9% | 12.2% | 7.1% |
| American Indian, Pacific Islander, Two or More Races, and Race / Ethnicity Unknown | 64.3% | 44.3% | 31.5% | 21.0% | 11.5% | 7.9% |
| Retention Rates by Pell Grant Recipients | Year 1 Retention | Year 2 Retention | Year 3 Retention | Year 4 Retention | Year 5 Retention | Year 6 Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall GGC Student Population | 58.0% | 39.8% | 28.9% | 19.8% | 11.2% | 6.3% |
| Received Pell Grants | 62.8% | 44.2% | 32.9% | 22.4% | 12.6% | 7.3% |
| Did Not Receive Pell Grants | 56.5% | 38.4% | 27.5% | 18.9% | 10.7% | 6.0% |
Student Learning
Successful efforts in college are meant to include the development of knowledge and skills that will be useful to students in their lives as contributing citizens in the world. GGC has defined eight essential skills, termed the Integrated Educational Experience Student Learning Outcomes (IEEs). A comprehensive assessment of student achievement must include attention to student progress in developing competence in these learning outcomes. The IEEs are assessed regularly within the framework of programmatic student learning assessment in both the academic programs and the co-curricular programs and through direct assessment. The results of programmatic assessments associated with IEEs are classified as "Met" or "Partially Met" and weighted as 1 or 0.5, respectively. These are then averaged and reported as a percentage. The results for the past three academic years are shown in the table that follows.
Weighted Average of IEE SLOs
| IEE 1 | IEE 2 | IEE 3 | IEE 4 | IEE 5 | IEE 6 | IEE 7 | IEE 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 75% | 72% | 90% | 93% | 81% | 84% | 90% | 78% |
| 2020-2021 | 73% | 70% | 81% | 77% | 74% | 79% | 81% | 65% |
| 2021-2022 | 42% | 42% | 38% | 29% | 39% | 43% | 40% | 28% |
| 3-Year Average | 63% | 61% | 70% | 67% | 65% | 69% | 70% | 57% |
GGC's annual target is to exceed the three-year average.
In addition, GGC has invested in developing or identifying appropriate direct assessments for each of the IEE SLOs and in building an assessment structure that gathers data on student cohorts at entry, upon completion of the general education requirements (i.e., at approximately 60 credit hours), and near graduation. These assessments are administered by Academic Assessment and Accreditation, which maintains the data. The three to five year averages for each are shown below.
| IEE SLO and Instrument | Baseline – Freshman | Completing General Education Curriculum | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEE 1 Internal Essay Prompt with Qualitative Rubric Maximum Score: 12 |
7.66 | 8.88 | 8.39 |
| IEE 2 Critical Thinking Test (CAT) Maximum Score: 39 |
11.33 | 12.53 | 13.42 |
| IEE 3 Internally Developed Information Technology Test Maximum Score: 100 |
46 | 64 | 63 |
| IEE 4 Global Perspectives Inventory Maximum Score: 5 |
3.72 | 3.81 | 3.89 |
| IEE 4 Intercultural Development Inventory Development Orientation Maximum Score: 130 |
83.12 | 82.97 | 86.56 |
| IEE 5 Threshold Achievement Test of Information Literacy Value of Information Score Maximum Score: 800 |
361 | 406 | 467 |
| IEE6 Moral Competency Test (proportion of test takers who rated as normal or high moral competence) Maximum Score: 100 |
52 | 63 | 50 |
| IEE7 Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Transactional Leadership Score Maximum Score: 5 |
3.28 | 3.28 | 3.44 |
| IEE7 Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Transformational Leadership Score Maximum Score: 5 |
3.58 | 3.71 | 3.96 |
| IEE7 Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Leadership Qualities Score Maximum Score: 5 |
3.58 | 3.74 | 4.02 |
| IEE 8 Internally Developed Quantitative Reasoning Test Maximum Score: 100 |
46 | 61 | 66 |