Enrollment – Unduplicated Headcount by Fiscal Year
Considerations: In FY2024, RCTC’s unduplicated student headcount was 6,268. This was up 3% over the prior FY2023’s unduplicated headcount of 6,093. As a point of comparison, the average unduplicated headcount at all MN 2-year colleges for FY2024 was 56,341. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) recommends a goal of a 2% increase each year, resetting the goal each year to be calculated based on the prior fiscal year’s updated results.
Goal: unduplicated student headcount of 6,393 for FY2025, with a 2% increase per year through FY2028, reset annually.
| Measures | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unduplicated headcount of 6,393 students for Fiscal Year 2025, with a 2% increase per year through Fiscal Year 2028, reset annually | 6,268 | 6,811 |
Diverse Enrollment Composition – Unduplicated Headcount % BIPOC
Considerations: According to RCTC’s most recent census data (30th day) for Fall 2024, student profiles indicate 34% of the enrolled students are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). The current race/ethnicity breakdown for RCTC is as follows:
- 62% White
- 15% Black / African American
- 5% Asian
- 9% Hispanic / Latino
- 5% 2 or more
- 2% unknown
This demographic composition represents a higher percentage of BIPOC when compared to Rochester Public Schools (currently 25% BIPOC), the city of Rochester (currently 28.5% BIPOC) and Olmsted County (currently 24% BIPOC). Given this comparison, IEC recommends a goal of maintaining the current representation of BIPOC students at 34% through FY2028.
Goal: Maintain 34% BIPOC representation for enrolled students through FY2028.
| Measures | Baseline | Current | FY2026 | FY2027 | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain 34% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation for enrolled students through Fiscal Year 2028 | 34% | 35% | 34% |
Fall-to-Fall Retention: All Students
Considerations: In FY2024, RCTC’s fall-to-fall retention for all students was 47%. This was up 3% from the prior fiscal year’s retention of 44%, but down from a recent high point of 48% in FY2020. For comparison purposes, RCTC’s recent retention rate of 47% was higher than the most recent measure reported by MN Colleges1 of 41.9% based on the Fall 2022 entering cohort, but lower than the national average of 55% for all 2-year public institutions for the Fall 2022 entering cohort, as reported in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Persistence and Retention 2024 report2. IEC recommends a stretch goal of 50% retention for this strategic plan cycle through FY2028.
Goal: fall-to-fall retention of 50% by FY2028
| Measures | Baseline | Current | FY2026 | FY2027 | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester to Fall Semester student retention of 50% by Fiscal Year 2028 | 47% | 45% | 50% |
Fall-to-Fall Retention Gap: BIPOC Retention Compared to White Student Retention
Considerations: Fall-to-Fall retention at RCTC for the Fall 2023 entering cohort was 50% for white students, and 43% for BIPOC students, resulting in a gap of 7% when we exclude high school students, according to preliminary data on persistence and retention for Fall 2023 to Fall 2024 retention. [Note: MN State data on persistence and retention has not been finalized yet – there has been a delay from system office in releasing this final data.] IEC recommends a goal that represents a gap of 3% or less by FY2028 when comparing BIPOC student retention results to white student retention (excluding high school students).
Goal: Reduce the gap between retention of BIPOC students and white students to 3% or less by FY2028.
| Measures | Baseline | Current | FY2026 | FY2027 | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce the gap between retention of BIPOC students and white students to 3% or less by Fiscal Year 2028 | 7% | 8% | <3% |
Completions
Considerations: Minnesota State reports data to IPEDS related to RCTC’s program completions. For the 2020 entering cohort, 26% of RCTC’s first-time/full-time students completed a certificate, diploma, or degree program in 3 years.
Due to a new procedure for tracking completions, HLC will be capturing completions data directly from IPEDS again at the end of year 8. They will specifically be reviewing the sum of completions and transfers at year 8. For RCTC, they will compare our results to the results of other public 2-year institutions. They will request follow-up if RCTC’s results are in the bottom quartile of the comparison group. Additionally, if results are in the bottom 5% of all institutions in the comparison group, HLC will impose additional interventions. Currently, 2-year public institutions are averaging 44.7% completions and transfers in 8 years. To track RCTC’s progress in both categories, IEC recommends two goals related to completions: 30% completion by the end of year 3, and 55% completions plus transfers by the end of year 8.
The IR team at RCTC is designing a process for pulling completions at other institutions back to our students’ completions data. HLC allows us to count completions no matter where they occurred, but to date we have only captured completions here at RCTC. Since many students attend with the intention of transferring and completing a degree elsewhere, we are likely under-counting completions. We have access to completions data through the National Student Clearinghouse data tables, and we are working on a process to link it to our student data using TechID’s, which are captured in the clearinghouse data. We’ll use the combined completions as the measure for comparison to the established goals.
Goal: 30% completion by the end of year 3; 55% completions plus transfers by the end of year 8
| Measures | Baseline | Current | FY2026 | FY2027 | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% completion by end of year 3 | 26% | 30% | 30% | ||
| 55% completion and transfer by end of year 8 | 49% | 55% |
| Measures | Baseline | Current | 2028 Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unduplicated headcount of 6,393 students for Fiscal Year 2025, with a 2% increase per year through Fiscal Year 2028, reset annually | 6,811 | ||
| Maintain 34% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation for enrolled students through Fiscal Year 2028 | 35% | 34% | |
| Fall Semester to Fall Semester student retention of 50% by Fiscal Year 2028 | 45% | 50% | |
| Reduce the gap between retention of BIPOC students and white students to 3% or less by Fiscal Year 2028 | 8% | <3% | |
| 30% completion (earn a degree, diploma, or certificate) by the end of year 3 | 30% | 30% | |
| 55% completion and transfer by end of year 8 | 49% | 55% |