Student Achievement Data

What is a graduation rate and what is a transfer-out rate?

Federal regulations specify how to calculate the graduation and transfer rates. The rates come from a study of Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) students who started at the college in the fall of 2021. The study includes all first-time students who enrolled full-time that fall and were seeking to earn a degree, diploma or certificate at the college.

• Graduation rate - The percentage of these students who graduated from M State within three years.
• Transfer-out rate - The percentage of these students who did not graduate from M State but instead transferred to another college or university within three years.

What do I need to know about these rates?

These rates do not report on all students at M State. The 551 first-time, full-time students in the study represent about 10 percent of all students enrolled at M State in fall of 2021.

What are the graduation and transfer-out rates for M State students and how do they compare to rates for other colleges?

• The graduation rate for M State was 47 percent.
• The transfer-out rate for M State was 47 percent.
• The combination of the graduation rate and the transfer-out rate for M State was 94 percent.
• The national average combined rate for similar colleges was 51 percent.

Why don't more M State students graduate or transfer in three years?

• Since M State has an "open-door" mission, many new students need to take developmental courses to improve their reading, writing or math skills before taking other college courses.
• Students who switch from full-time to part-time enrollment or "stop out" for one or more semesters are more likely to take more than three years to graduate.
• Some students take jobs before they graduate.
• Other students delay their education for personal, family or financial reasons.

*Suppressed to protect student privacy. Due to rounding, percentages may not always appear to add up.

Visit Student Right to Know for more information regarding the Student Right-To-Know Act, which requires higher education institutions participating in federally funded financial aid programs to publicly disclose specific data and information.

Student persistence and completion

Percent change (end of term fall 2019 through fall 2023): 2.8%

Definition: Percent of fall entering cohort of regular and transfer students who have been retained, graduated, or transferred by the second fall term following original fall enrollment.

Completion rate

Percent change (end of term fall 2018 through fall 2022): 6.6%

Definition: Percent of entering cohort of undergraduate regular and transfer students that have completed. Completion is measured as graduation or transfer by the end of the third spring after entry at M State.

Licensure exam pass rate

Percent change (calendar years 2020 through 2024): -12.7%

Definition: Percent of a cohort of students or graduates that passed a state or national licensure examination. This measure is a weighted average pass rate and currently includes three licensing exams: nursing, peace officer and radiography.

Graduate placement rate

Related employment rate by award type

Percent change (fiscal year 2021 - 2025): AA/AS/AFA 2%, AAS -1%, diploma/certificate 5%, total for all degrees 2%

Continuing education rate by award type

Percent change (fiscal year 2021 - 2025): AA/AS/AFA -7%, AAS 0%, diploma/certificate 5%, total for all degrees -3%

Related employment by major

2025 data is the most recent publishable data as our graduates have one year to obtain employment prior to our surveying them to gather their employment information.

Definitions: 'N/A' graduates continuing education or not seeking related employment; 'N' program not yet developed.

Contact us

• If you have questions about the information on this page, contact ir@minnesota.edu.
• For information on services M State offers for students, alumni and employers, visit Career Services.