This is the second in the 2013 series of Utah Women and Education Initiative (UWEI) Research and Policy Briefs written to help state leaders, educators, legislators, and community members understand the current state of higher education for women in Utah. The first brief on education attainment of the Utah population included information about Utah’s big goal of having 66% of Utah’s population with postsecondary degrees or vocational certificates by the year 2020. The purpose of this second brief is to highlight the current enrollment and graduation data of women and men attending postsecondary institutions in Utah

Madsen, Susan R.

Sarin, Heather Bertotti

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications Marketing and Strategy 1-15-2013 College Enrollment and Graduation: A Utah Women and Education Update Susan R. Madsen Utah State University, susan.madsen@usu.edu Heather Bertotti Sarin Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/marketing_facpub  Part of the Marketing Commons Recommended Citation Madsen, S. R., & Bertotti, H. S. (2013, January 15). College enrollment and graduation: A Utah women and education update.Research and Policy Brief. https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/files/briefs/4-college-enrollment-graduation.pdf This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Marketing and Strategy at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. Utah Women & Leadership Project | Jon M. Huntsman School of Business | Utah State University  Research & Policy Brief January 15, 2013  |  No. 4    College Enrollment and Graduation: A Utah Women and Education Update   This is the second in the 2013 series of Utah Women and Education Initiative (UWEI) Research and Policy Briefs written to help state leaders, educators, legislators, and community members understand the current state of higher education for women in Utah. The first brief on education attainment of the Utah population included information about Utah’s big goal of having 66% of Utah’s population with postsecondary degrees or vocational certificates by the year 2020. The purpose of this second brief is to highlight the current enrollment and graduation data of women and men attending postsecondary institutions in Utah.   Enrollment The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems Information reports the percent of high school graduates that go directly to college. The most recent data show Utah at 58.5%, while the U.S. average is 63.3%.1 The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) tracked Utah’s 2007 high school graduates and found that between fall of 2007 and spring of 2012, 68.1% attended at least one semester of postsecondary study (68.5% females; 67.8% males). For 2008 graduates, 68.3% of females and 64.4% of males attended at least one semester between fall of 2008 and spring of 2012. However, these percentages do not track ongoing college attendance. According to Complete College America, 2011, only 53.8% of full-time Utah students in two- year colleges return their second year. At four-year Utah colleges, 58.2% return the second year, 45% for year three, and only 41.5% for their fourth year.2 It is important to note that these rates are not adjusted for mission or military service.  College students who graduated from a Utah high school in the previous year comprised 71% of all freshmen enrolled at Utah institutions in the fall of 2010.3 Approximately 92% of Utah freshmen attended colleges in their home state, compared to 81% nationally. It appears Utah students are more likely to stay in Utah and, with completed degrees and certificates, to benefit the Utah economy and quality of life.   Undergraduate enrollment in Utah has consistently increased over the past decade. According to the Utah Foundation, “The number of full- and part-time students enrolled in USHE schools increased by 38% from 126,337 in 2000, to 174,013 in the 2011 academic year.”4 The Utah Colleges of Applied Technology (UCAT) enrollment also increased 12% from 2000 to 2012. However, according to Dr. Jeff Strohl of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce,5 between 1994 and 2009, the youth (18–24) population in Utah grew by 40%, while first-time college freshmen grew by 20%. Because enrollment is not keeping up with population growth, Utah may find it difficult to achieve its 66% goal without interventions being put in place. Strohl found that the enrollment-to-population growth discrepancy is driven primarily by white youth enrollments (10% growth) being much less than the population growth (32%). He also stated that Utah has done a good job of providing college access to the growing multicultural minority population, which increased from 11% to 16% of the youth population. However, a recent publication reported that Utah had the fourth-lowest high school graduation rate for Latinos in the country at 57 percent, so there is still much work that needs to be done.6  Nationally, 57% of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions are women.7 Accordingly, male enrollments represent a lower percentage of the total—an issue for many states. In Utah, women have increased enrollment in recent years so there is an approximate 50-50 split in women-to-men enrollments. Although this puts Utah in a unique position nationally (the lowest state in the nation when it comes to the percentage of enrolled students who are female), a 50-50 gender split is beneficial for individuals and society. The challenge is that Utah needs more women and men enrolling and, more specifically, graduating from college. Table 1 highlights enrollments for men and women.     Table 1: Utah College Enrollment Population Utah Nation Men 49.4% 43.0% Women 50.6% 57.0% Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (2012, November 23). Data and analysis: The state of academe. Almanac of Higher Education 2012:  Table 2 provides fall 2011 undergraduate enrollment at the eight public higher education institutions in the state. At a glance, some may mistakenly assume there is no need for concern because there are more females enrolled than males at some institutions. Yet, Utah women enroll in higher percentages as freshmen and sophomores, and then many do not continue. Add this to Utah’s unique characteristic of having a large percentage of young men serving two-year LDS missions (ages 19–21), and the enrollment numbers are complex. It is actually no surprise that SLCC and Snow have more women, as two-year community colleges typically have more women enrolled than men. The differences in college programs and institutional missions explain some of this as well, but it is clear that more women than men in Utah seek associate-level degrees.  1 January 15, 2013  |  Enrollment and Graduation Rates    Authors: Dr. Susan R. Madsen (Orin R. Woodbury Professor of Leadership & Ethics, Utah Valley University) and                                                                 Heather Bertotti Sarin (Community Volunteer). For questions and information: uwlp@usu.edu or www.utwomen.org Table 2: Fall 2011 Third-Week Enrollments Source: USHE from data gathered from the USHE database, National Center for Educational Statistics IPEDS survey data, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data. Data from the Utah Women and Education Project statewide study (see Research Snapshots)8 found similar beliefs, attitudes, aspirations, and intentions in communities around the state. It is clear that too many women and men still drop out at all Utah institutions. Although women may compare well to men in enrollment at many institutions, particularly during the first two years when many young men are serving missions, they do not compare favorably nationally in terms of graduation and need substantial increases to reach Utah’s 66% completion goal.   Graduation Approximately 43.7% of men and 49% of women who enroll in Utah colleges and universities actually graduate.9 This does not compare well nationally for either gender. According to these statistics, bachelor’s degree graduation rates for Utah women are 9.5% below the nation and the percentage of men is similar (see Table 3).    Table 3: Graduation Rates at Public 4-year Institutions Population Utah Nation Gap Men 43.7% 53.0% -9.3% Women 49.0% 58.5% -9.5% Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education (2012, Nov 23). Data and analysis: The state of academe. Almanac of Higher Education 2012: Utah. USHE reports that Utah women receive 55% of the associate degrees awarded in public institutions while only 47% of bachelor degrees—the lowest of all 50 states.10 Utah also has the lowest percent of doctorate/professional degrees awarded to women in the nation (41%) and is only ahead of the District of Columbia for the percent of master degrees awarded to women (46%).  Table 4 outlines graduation rates by gender and institution based on the calculation of a 3-year rate for associate-degree-seeking students and a 6-year rate for bachelor-degree seeking students, with some adjustment for missionary or  military service. This source reports a 13% difference be-tween the USHE institutions’ graduation rate for women and the national average. Even if additional time is added past the six-year window, it does not substantially reduce the gap for females. Men are facing a 19% gap, which lessens somewhat over time but is still not enough to get Utah to the national average.    Table 4: Graduation Rates by Gender & Institution Institution        2011 Graduation Rate         (150% of Degree Length)  Female Male U of U 57% 54% USU 52% 50% WSU 49% 35% SUU 37% 29% Snow 42% 18% DSC 37% 15% UVU 30% 28% SLCC 29% 19% USHE 43% 32% USA 56% 51% Source: USHE from data gathered from the USHE database, National Center for Educational Statistics IPEDS survey data, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data. Conclusion Utah college enrollment in the past decade has been increasing.  This increase, however, has not kept up with the state population growth. First, strategies to encourage high school graduates to attend college directly after graduation are critical to higher completion rates. Second, encouraging more women and men to enroll and graduate from college is also fundamental to meet Utah’s big goal. Finally, encouraging both men and women in older age categories to return and complete college is a strategy Utah needs to explore further. Utah needs to continue to position its residents for success by implementing an integrated approach to help more students complete college.                                                               1 NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and   Analysis (n.d.). College participation rates: College-going rates of high school  graduates–Directly from high school: 2008. 2 Complete College America (2011). Utah 2011: College completion  information.  3 The Chronicle of Higher Education (2012, November 23). Data and analysis:   The state of academe. Almanac of Higher Education 2012: Utah. 4 Utah Foundation (2012). Priority issue #6: Higher education. 5 Strohl, J. (2012, October 15). Keeping pace: One perspective on the challenges  and rewards of Utah’s education goals. Presentation made at the 2012   Governor’s Education Summit.    6 Schencker, L. (2012, November 27). Utah ranks in bottom half of country for   high school grad rates: State’s rate for Latinos is fourth lowest in nation. The   Salt Lake Tribune. 7 The Chronicle of Higher Education (2012, November 23). 8 Madsen, S. R. et al. (2011). Research snapshots. Utah Women and Education   Project. Retrieved from http://dev.utahwomenandeducation.org/ 9 The Chronicle of Higher Education (2012, November 23). 10 USHE (2012, August). Analysis of Utah women in education.  Copyright © 2013 Utah Women & Leadership Project Institution  Fall 2011 Undergraduate Enrollment  Female Male U of U 45% 55% USU 55% 45% WSU 53% 47% SUU 56% 44% Snow 52% 48% DSC 53% 47% UVU 44% 56% SLCC 52% 48% USHE 50% 50% 

College Enrollment and Graduation: A Utah Women and Education Update

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College Enrollment and Graduation: A Utah Women and Education Update

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