When choosing a college, there are plenty of factors to consider. Students often look to a school’s academic offerings, the esteem of its instructors, and the general affordability of its programs when narrowing their lists of potential programs.
But one surefire way to determine whether a school is up to your standards is to examine its student outcomes. These are statistics that will tell you exactly how graduates of the program have fared since beginning their studies, and this information should be pretty easy to uncover as long as you know where to look.
Join us as we outline four of the most important student outcomes that prospective students like you should consider and find out how Bellarmine University measures up.
Why are student outcomes important?
If a school doesn’t make information on its student outcomes easy for you to track down, that may be a red flag because institutions like Bellarmine University display our student outcomes with pride.
Bellarmine closely measures student success by tracking and analyzing the outcomes of its graduates on a regular basis. Through a process of ongoing and iterative
outcomes assessments, we use this student data to continually improve the strategic design of both curricular and non-curricular academic program objectives. The faculty, staff, and administration rely on these key performance indicators to monitor strategic goals and ensure continuous improvement.
4 Bellarmine University student outcomes to pay attention to:
Bellarmine University graduate data has consistently confirmed that our liberal arts curriculum and emphasis on experiential, hands-on learning nets results like no others. But don’t just take our word for it – the statistics speak for themselves.
1. Retention rate
Put simply, a school’s
retention rate reflects the percentage of first-time undergraduate students who return to the same institution the following fall. In particular, an institution’s second-year retention rate has become an industry standard throughout higher education.
The second-year retention rate is among the strongest predictors of a student’s future academic and career success, as fall-to-fall retention contributes significantly to a student’s likelihood of graduating on time and continuing with post-graduate education and/or entering the workforce.
Bellarmine University’s second-year retention rate outpaces the national average. According to the most recent data available, our second-year retention rates for first-time, full-time students are consistently near
80 percent, while the national average sits at about 60 percent.
2. Graduation rate
A school’s graduation rate is an obvious indicator of student achievement, as it tracks the four- and six-year graduation rates of first-time, full-time students. This is an important metric to review because it can give you an idea of a program’s effectiveness while also providing an overall sense of student satisfaction.
Based on the most recent two years of available data, Bellarmine’s four- and six-year graduation rates are significantly ahead of the national average. While the national average sits at right around 50 percent, our students saw rates closer to 67 percent.
We place a heavy emphasis on student success initiatives, beginning in a student’s first year all the way through graduation. Programs like the Bellarmine Guarantee ensure that high-performing students remain on track to graduate within four years. We’ve also developed additional programming to advise students who fall behind to help them complete their degree in their fifth or sixth year.
3. State licensing exam results
Most colleges and universities keep track of and report their graduates’ performance on relevant state licensing exams. If you’re hoping to go into a field that requires this type of professional examination, licensing exam results will be some of the most important student outcomes you’ll analyze.
This data is often considered to be a direct reflection of how effective a program is in preparing graduates for the workforce. If a program is successful in equipping its students with the knowledge and skills they’ll need to achieve their career aspirations, then exam pass rates should reflect that.
4. Job and graduate school placement.
Another important indicator of a school that effectively prepares its students for success is
positive career outcomes. What students find themselves doing after graduation has a lot to do with the quality of the education they received. A quality undergraduate program should adequately prepare you for the workforce and/or continuing education.
At Bellarmine University, we use multiple different methods to gather information on students’ post-graduate plans, including an annual electronic questionnaire called the First Destination Survey. The most recent survey data revealed that 98 percent of 2020 Bellarmine University graduates report working or participating in continuing education within six months of graduation. And 92 percent are working in their chosen field.
Our graduates find career success in a range of industries, from healthcare and business to education and technology. And while 78 percent are working in the Louisville area, the school’s 2020 graduates are currently working or studying in 28 different U.S. states and six different countries.
These impressive metrics are the result of a university that heavily emphasizes experiential learning and career preparedness. We take pride in ensuring every student will have the opportunity to land an internship, develop a career plan, and build a professional network.
Start writing your success story at Bellarmine University
As you commit to investing in your education, you want to find a school that will invest just as much in you. Bellarmine University is committed to its students’ success at every turn, from acceptance to graduation. The positive student outcomes speak for themselves.