PO Box 19120 • Arlington, TX 76019
Phone: 817-272-3365 • Fax: 817-272-3355
Student Achievement Data
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
As a growing research powerhouse committed to life-enhancing discovery and innovative instruction, The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) has selected the following measures of student achievement:
- six-year graduation rates for first-time in college students (FTIC),
- baccalaureate and master's degrees awarded,
- doctoral degrees awarded,
- licensure and certification examination pass rates,
- baccalaureate graduates employed and/or enrolled in a graduate program or professional school in Texas, and
- doctoral post-graduation employment.
Targets and rationale for each measure are detailed below.
6-YEAR GRADUATION RATES FOR FTIC STUDENTS
The strategic plan update, Advancing the Strategic Plan, has set a target of a 65 percent six-year graduation rate for FTIC students by academic year 2023-2024. This select target is in line with the institution’s Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) peer group.
Six-year First-Time, Full-Time Student Graduation Rates, Same Institution*
| Cohort | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-year rate | 42% | 42% | 46% | 48% | 50% | 49% | 51% |
52% |
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (data retrieved April 3, 2020).
* Full-time defined as 12 Semester Credit Hours
DEGREES AWARDED
The THECB’s previous strategic plan, Closing the Gaps by 2015, established institutional targets for overall bachelor’s degrees awarded by Texas public institutions of higher education. UTA's Closing the Gaps targets for 2015 and 2020 were 6,000 and 6,500 baccalaureate degrees awarded, respectively. As of 2016, UTA successfully met and surpassed the 2015 target by 120 percent.
The THECB’s Texas Higher Education Strategic Plan: 2015-2030, 60X30TX, has established the overarching goal that by 2030, at least 60 percent of Texans ages 23-34 will have a certificate or degree. To meet that 60X30TX goal, UTA has set the following targets for baccalaureate and master’s total combined degrees awarded as follows: for 2020, 12,500 degrees awarded; for 2025, 13,500 degrees awarded; and for 2030, 14,500 degrees awarded.
The THECB's Closing the Gaps target for doctoral degrees awarded by 2015 at UTA was 160. UTA has also met and surpassed this target by 135 percent as of 2015 with 216 doctoral degrees awarded. UTA’s Strategic Plan 2025 established a new doctoral degree production target of more than 250 doctoral degrees awarded in year 2020. The selected target and UTA’s progress toward it are in line with the THECB emerging research institution peer group for Texas public universities.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baccalaureate | 6,738 | 7,197 | 7,444 | 8,157 | 8,619 | 8,866 |
| Master’s | 2,502 | 3,172 | 3,877 | 4,369 | 4,895 | 4,614 |
| Doctoral | 225 | 216 | 205 | 221 | 214 | 225 |
Source: THECB Accountability System (data retrieved May 12, 2020)
LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION EXAM PASS RATES
Licensure and certification exam pass rates are evaluated through statewide comparisons.
Education
Performance standards for accredited educator preparation programs (EPP) are outlined in #229.4">Texas Administrative Code Rule 229.4 subsection (a)(1). Texas Administrative Code Rule 229.4 expects pass rates of EPP candidates to be at or above 80 percent for the academic year. Pass rates for UTA are also compared to and expected to be at or above statewide levels. Data shows that UTA students have consistently exceeded these targets.
Education Certification Examination Pass Rates
| Year | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTA | 97% | 95% | 95% | 93% | 93% | 93% | 96% | 92% |
| Texas | 92% | 92% | 94% | 95% | 95% | 95% | 91% | 90% |
Source: Educator Certification Online System (data retrieved April 3, 2020)
Nursing
The National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) pass rates for UTA are expected to be at or above the nationwide pass rate. Licensure examination pass rates for nursing programs in Texas are reported and monitored by the Texas Board of Nursing (TBN) and a program-specific accrediting agency, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), in accordance with Texas Administrative Code Title 22, Part 11, Chapter 215, Rule §215.4 Professional Nursing Education Approval. CCNE requires a pass rate of at least 80 percent for program accreditation. UTA’s NCLEX pass rates for the past seven years far exceeded the CCNE threshold and have consistently remained above nationwide averages.
Nursing NCLEX Pass Rates
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTA | 91.4% | 87.0% | 87.9% | 88.6% | 90.9% | 91.3% | 92.7% |
| National | 85.2% | 84.9% | 87.5% | 87.8% | 90.0% | 91.6% | 91.2% |
NOTE: Source: Texas Board of Nursing (data retrieved 4/3/20) for UTA pass rates and National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) (data retrieved on 5/13/2020) for national pass rates
BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES EMPLOYED AND/OR ENROLLED IN A GRADUATE PROGRAM OR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL IN TEXAS
Post-baccalaureate employment and/or graduate program enrollment are evaluated through statewide comparisons. The expected level of achievement is that the institution will be at or near statewide levels. UTA has successfully maintained post-baccalaureate enrollment and/or employment rates at or near state levels.
Post-baccalaureate employment and/or graduate program enrollment in Texas
| Fiscal Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTA | 77.40% | 74.80% | 75.10% | 73.50% | 72.40% | 72.80% |
| Texas | 77.80% | 77.60% | 75.80% | 74.90% | 74.10% | 74.80% |
Source: THECB Accountability System (data retrieved April 3, 2020)
DOCTORAL POST-GRADUATION EMPLOYMENT
Post-graduation doctoral student employment is evaluated through comparison with other high research institutions (HRI). The expected level of achievement is that UTA will be at or above the percentage of other HRIs.
The table below presents the most recent data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates showing the percent of UTA graduates who found employment in different sectors of the workplace (postdoctoral fellowships, associateships, and traineeships are excluded). It also shows employment trends for doctoral students graduating from HRIs and for all doctoral graduates regardless of type of institution.
The types of placements and the percentages of UTA graduates who obtained those placements compare favorably with the placement data on graduates from other HRIs and all other doctoral institutions. UTA doctoral students have good success finding employment immediately upon graduation and are as or more competitive for jobs in most sectors of the job market compared to other doctoral graduates.
Employment sector of doctorate recipients with definite post-graduation employment commitments for The University of Texas at Arlington and comparison institutions: Academic Year 2018*
| UTA | High Research Institutions | All Institutions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| All Employment commitments | 65 | 15,664 | 21,070 | |||
| Academe | 25 | 38.46% | 6,979 | 44.55% | 9,471 | 44.95% |
| Government | 6 | 9.23% | 1,003 | 6.40% | 1,516 | 7.20% |
| Industry or business a | 28 | 43.08% | 6,000 | 38.30% | 7,380 | 35.03% |
| Nonprofit organization | 4 | 6.15% | 851 | 5.43% | 1,313 | 6.23% |
| Other or unknown b | 2 | 3.08% | 831 | 5.31% | 1,390 | 6.60% |
* Data presented cover doctorate recipients who received their degrees between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
a. Includes doctorate recipients who indicated self-employment.
b. "Other" is mainly composed of elementary and secondary schools.
NOTE: Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100.
Source: NSF, Survey of Earned Doctorates (data retrieved on April 2020).