Student Achievement

The University of Louisiana identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to its mission to “[prepare] individuals from northeast Louisiana and beyond to compete, succeed, and contribute in an ever-changing global society through a transformative education while positively impacting society through research and service.”

The University examines appropriate criteria concerning enrollment, retention rates, and graduation rates to document successful student achievement. These criteria, developed by the University’s Strategic Planning Enrollment Subcommittee, are representative of a student’s time at ULM and integrated into the University’s Strategic Plan and its assessment. The IPEDS 6-Year Graduation rate definition serves as ULM’s Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI). ULM measures student achievement inclusive of all instructional sites and modes of delivery annually as part of its ongoing, integrated, institutional effectiveness process.

The selected criteria allow the University to compare its outcomes to its own historical performance and peer institutions. These efforts result in deliberate measures of student achievement, which demonstrate ULM’s compliance with SACSCOC Core Requirement 8.1 Student Achievement, its commitment to meeting performance indicators monitored by the University of Louisiana System (ULS) and the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR), and mission accomplishment to its stakeholders.

 

Enrollment	Baseline				Strategic Plan Years			Minimum Acceptable Threshold	Goal for 2026
	Fall 18	Fall 19	Fall 20	Fall 21	Fall 22	Fall 23	Fall 24
Students	8,832	8,489	8,676	8,565	8,215	8,277	8,605	8,500	10,000

*Student headcount as of fall census.

 

Retention	Baseline				Strategic Plan Years			Minimum Acceptable Threshold	Goal for 2026
	Fall 17	Fall 18	Fall 19	Fall 20	Fall 21	Fall 22	Fall 23
First time, full time freshmen	71%	73%	74%	69%	72%	77%	73%	72%	80%
Continuing	89%	90%	91%	89%	87%	88%	89%	90%	92%

*Percent retained to or graduated by the next fall from listed term.

 

Graduation Rate	Baseline				Strategic Plan Years			Minimum Acceptable Threshold	Goal for 2031
	Fall 2012	Fall 2013	Fall 2014	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018
IPEDS 6-Yr Rate	43%	47%	57%	54%	51%	51%	54%	50%	65%

*ULM's Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI) - IPEDS bachelor's degree seeking graduation rate within 150% of normal completion time, often referred to as 6-year graduation rate. Term listed is the cohort entering term.

 

	Institutional data used as baseline for the ULM 2022-2027 Strategic Plan
	At or above minimum acceptable threshold
	Below minimum acceptable threshold

 

Fall Enrollment

The number of students enrolled in the Fall at ULM is established at a specific “census date,” which occurs approximately 14 class days after the beginning of full term.  Enrollment numbers include all instructional sites and all instructional delivery methods.  Enrollment numbers do not include leisure or other non-credit programs.

 

Cohort Retention from First Fall to Second Fall

ULM establishes Freshman cohorts each Fall.  These cohorts consist of students who are attending college for the first time, are enrolled for at least 12 semester hours, and are pursuing a bachelor’s degree.  The cohort is often referred to as FTFTF for first-time, full-time freshmen. The cohort retention rate percentage is calculated based on the number of these students who enroll in the next fall term after entry.

 

Continuing Student Retention from Fall to Fall

ULM categorizes students by type at the beginning of each term.  Students who were enrolled in the prior term are classified as “continuing.” This term applies to both undergraduate and graduate students who were enrolled in the prior term, regardless of location or instructional delivery method.  The continuing student retention rate percentage is calculated based on the number of these students who enroll in the next fall term.

 

IPEDS Graduation Rate – SACSCOC Key Student Completion Indicator

ULM anticipates that students who are part of a fall entering cohort will complete a bachelor’s degree within 4 to 6 years.   Graduation rate measures the percentage of students in a cohort who graduate within 6 years (150% of the designed time for a bachelor’s degree). The IPEDS graduation rate serves as the key student completion indicator for the University’s accreditation processes with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.