The University evaluates success with respect to student achievement including retention rates, graduation rates, and employment placement.  The University has a systemic process of on-going assessments such as annual reporting, degree program student learning outcome assessment, and academic program review that serve as the documentation and evaluations of student achievement.

The University monitors the retention rate for first-time, full-time students as a measure of success of the student achievement. The average retention rate the last four years is 45%.  The retention rate for first-time, full-time freshman decreased by one point from 41% (2013 Cohort) to 40% (2014 cohort) before increasing to 55% (2015 cohort) before dropping again this year to 44% (2016 cohort).  The retention of students is tied to their academic progress, social adjustment, and the availability of financial support.

To address the decline in the retention rate, Saint Augustine’s University engaged a Retention Committee to assess and provide strategies for improvement.  The Committee recommendations were to increase support of the early warning system and restructure the academic advising system.  The University has hired a Tutorial/Advising Coordinator to oversee the Early Warning system process and Academic Advising Center. The Coordinator will connect the services provided to students who are not demonstrating satisfactory progress and those who are undeclared majors. Advisors will work with students to clarify educational and career goals as well as making appropriate course selection. Providing students with intervention and a support system will connect them to the campus early, enhancing their campus experience and provide them with strategies to be successful. Our expectation is to increase the retention rate of our first-time, full-time students fall to fall by at least 1.2% annually.

The University monitors graduation rates as a measure of success of its undergraduate program.  These rates are reported to the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Graduation Rate Survey.  The University had an annual six-year graduation rate of 35% until the latest cohorts.  The graduation rates are listed below:

The graduation rates reported to IPEDS do not take into account transfer students and students that take one or more semesters off and return to school (stop-outs) to graduate within the six-year margin.

The University monitors employment and graduate school placement rates as a measure of success of its undergraduate program. Two weeks prior to commencement, The Belk Professional Development Center requires graduating seniors to complete an on-line questionnaire regarding their plans after graduation. In addition, school deans maintain records of their graduate employment and/or graduate school status. On average, over 60% of the University’s graduates are employed or attend graduate school upon graduation.

As some of the Schools were merged and some programs were moved, listed below are the numbers and percentages of graduates per program from 2015 to 2017.

Based on exiting senior surveys, 49.8% of 2015 graduates had fulltime jobs with 27.9% planning to attend graduate or professional school. 20.4% of the 2015 graduates were admitted to and in attendance at a graduate or professional school in a discipline in which blacks are underrepresented. 

For 2016 graduates, 65.9% had full-time jobs with another 15.9% intending to attend graduate or professional school. 10.2% of the 2016 graduates were admitted to and in attendance at a graduate or professional school in a discipline in which blacks are underrepresented.