*   IR Series
  Office of Institutional Research - Box 5161 - 372-6144
  Tennessee Technological University

Vol. 05-06, No. 24   February 22, 2006

Retention Rates for First-Time Freshmen By Unit

This report contains current information about Fall-to-Spring and Fall-to-Fall retention rates for first-time freshmen at Tennessee Tech, by unit.  Each freshman cohort consists of all first-time, full-time freshmen who entered the University in the Fall semester or the immediately preceding Summer.

Below is a summary of retention rates by unit.  These rates were calculated as weighted averages for the entering freshman classes of Fall 2000, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, Fall 2004, and Fall 2005.  In subsequent sections, Table 1 provides detailed information for the overall cohorts, and Tables 2 through 9 provide corresponding information for the units and for those students classified in General Curriculum and Regulated Admission. Tables 2 through 9 are mutually exclusive, and students are grouped according to their college and major in their first Fall term.  Retention information is about retention at the University and not necessarily retention within the original unit.  Some freshmen migrate from the original unit (e.g., Engineering) to another unit (e.g., Arts and Sciences).



          Fall-to-Spring Retention Rate for First-Time Freshmen
What percentage of first-time freshmen in Fall semester return for
their Spring semester at Tennessee Tech?
University 88.7%
Agriculture and Human Ecology 86.1%
Arts and Sciences 88.0%
Business Administration 89.5%
Education 89.6%
Engineering 92.3%
Interdisciplinary Studies & Ext Educ 100.0% *
Nursing 93.8%
General Curriculum 85.0%
Regulated Admission 78.0%
* n = 1
             One-Year Retention Rate for First-Time Freshmen
What percentage of first-time freshmen return for their second year
at Tennessee Tech?
University 71.5%
Agriculture and Human Ecology 70.6%
Arts and Sciences 70.7%
Business Administration 74.4%
Education 76.5%
Engineering 78.7%
Interdisciplinary Studies & Ext Educ 100.0% *
Nursing 77.6%
General Curriculum 63.5%
Regulated Admission 45.6%
* n = 1


Table 1:     University
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 1,130 1,016 831 774 713 695
    89.91% 73.54% 68.50% 63.10% 61.50%
1997 1,091 936 753 688 623 557
    85.79% 69.02% 63.06% 57.10% 51.05%
1998 1,045 906 740 681 597 578
    86.70% 70.81% 65.17% 57.13% 55.31%
1999 1,177 1,054 844 762 702 657
    89.55% 71.71% 64.74% 59.64% 55.82%
2000 1,307 1,164 933 882 805 766
    89.06% 71.38% 67.48% 61.59% 58.61%
2001 1,289 1,119 904 833 755 705
    86.81% 70.13% 64.62% 58.57% 54.69%
2002 1,378 1,229 993 908 817 772
    89.19% 72.06% 65.89% 59.29% 56.02%
2003 1,374 1,207 975 920 841 830
    87.85% 70.96% 66.96% 61.21% 60.41%
2004 1,478 1,332 1,075 1,000    
    90.12% 72.73% 67.66%    
2005 1,410 1,257      
    89.15%        
Weighted        
Average:   88.73% 71.52% 66.29% 59.67% 56.91%
Table 2:     Agriculture and Human Ecology
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 57 53 45 42 39 35
    92.98% 78.95% 73.68% 68.42% 61.40%
1997 53 47 35 35 30 31
    88.68% 66.04% 66.04% 56.60% 58.49%
1998 41 34 30 29 24 23
    82.93% 73.17% 70.73% 58.54% 56.10%
1999 60 56 46 42 36 34
    93.33% 76.67% 70.00% 60.00% 56.67%
2000 65 59 42 42 36 36
    90.77% 64.62% 64.62% 55.38% 55.38%
2001 67 57 48 48 45 44
    85.07% 71.64% 71.64% 67.16% 65.67%
2002 62 53 46 45 42 39
    85.48% 74.19% 72.58% 67.74% 62.90%
2003 65 53 42 40 32 35
    81.54% 64.62% 61.54% 49.23% 53.85%
2004 65 57 47 39    
    87.69% 72.31% 60.00%    
2005 71 61    
    85.92%        
Weighted        
Average:   86.08% 70.57% 66.67% 59.72% 58.61%
Table 3:     Arts and Sciences
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 221 195 162 144 133 136
    88.24% 73.30% 65.16% 60.18% 61.54%
1997 204 173 125 119 111 101
    84.80% 61.27% 58.33% 54.41% 49.51%
1998 196 172 138 129 119 115
    87.76% 70.41% 65.82% 60.71% 58.67%
1999 188 174 131 121 105 103
    92.55% 69.68% 64.36% 55.85% 54.79%
2000 268 238 191 178 173 166
    88.81% 71.27% 66.42% 64.55% 61.94%
2001 261 228 183 170 154 153
    87.36% 70.11% 65.13% 59.00% 58.62%
2002 275 246 199 182 162 158
    89.45% 72.36% 66.18% 58.91% 57.45%
2003 289 255 218 209 194 187
    88.24% 75.43% 72.32% 67.13% 64.71%
2004 316 279 207 193    
    88.29% 65.51% 61.08%    
2005 289 248    
    85.81%        
Weighted        
Average:   87.99% 70.70% 65.94% 61.41% 59.72%
Table 4:     Business Administration
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 151 140 115 109 100 99
    92.72% 76.16% 72.19% 66.23% 65.56%
1997 148 122 109 97 85 79
    82.43% 73.65% 65.54% 57.43% 53.38%
1998 140 119 101 97 87 84
    85.00% 72.14% 69.29% 62.14% 60.00%
1999 144 129 117 103 97 89
    89.58% 81.25% 71.53% 67.36% 61.81%
2000 181 162 140 128 116 108
    89.50% 77.35% 70.72% 64.09% 59.67%
2001 176 153 126 117 105 92
    86.93% 71.59% 66.48% 59.66% 52.27%
2002 167 157 130 125 113 105
    94.01% 77.84% 74.85% 67.66% 62.87%
2003 172 151 122 113 105 104
    87.79% 70.93% 65.70% 61.05% 60.47%
2004 206 185 143 138    
    89.81% 69.42% 66.99%    
2005 173 154    
    89.02%        
Weighted        
Average:   89.49% 74.38% 69.22% 63.57% 59.39%
Table 5:     Education
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 129 109 82 80 72 69
    84.50% 63.57% 62.02% 55.81% 53.49%
1997 148 132 114 105 103 97
    89.19% 77.03% 70.95% 69.59% 65.54%
1998 127 112 95 92 78 77
    88.19% 74.80% 72.44% 61.42% 60.63%
1999 172 154 128 116 107 97
    89.53% 74.42% 67.44% 62.21% 56.40%
2000 146 124 110 104 100 94
    84.93% 75.34% 71.23% 68.49% 64.38%
2001 148 125 106 96 90 79
    84.46% 71.62% 64.86% 60.81% 53.38%
2002 151 140 114 106 102 99
    92.72% 75.50% 70.20% 67.55% 65.56%
2003 145 128 109 105 98 96
    88.28% 75.17% 72.41% 67.59% 66.21%
2004 164 157 141 131    
    95.73% 85.98% 79.88%    
2005 189 171    
    90.48%        
Weighted        
Average:   89.61% 76.46% 71.06% 64.68% 60.97%
Table 6:     Engineering
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 281 266 224 217 207 201
    94.66% 79.72% 77.22% 73.67% 71.53%
1997 227 206 174 163 157 122
    90.75% 76.65% 71.81% 69.16% 53.74%
1998 237 223 193 170 148 144
    94.09% 81.43% 71.73% 62.45% 60.76%
1999 263 239 206 188 183 176
    90.87% 78.33% 71.48% 69.58% 66.92%
2000 281 263 229 218 202 201
    93.59% 81.49% 77.58% 71.89% 71.53%
2001 295 276 237 222 213 206
    93.56% 80.34% 75.25% 72.20% 69.83%
2002 291 266 226 213 195 188
    91.41% 77.66% 73.20% 67.01% 64.60%
2003 331 304 261 247 238 241
    91.84% 78.85% 74.62% 71.90% 72.81%
2004 341 307 259 246    
    90.03% 75.95% 72.14%    
2005 307 287      
    93.49%        
Weighted        
Average:   92.25% 78.69% 74.03% 69.43% 68.08%
Table 7:     Interdisciplinary Studies & Extended Education
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
2002 1 1 1 1 0 0
    100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Table 8:     Nursing
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 41 35 30 24 24 23
    85.37% 73.17% 58.54% 58.54% 56.10%
1997 47 41 37 34 25 26
    87.23% 78.72% 72.34% 53.19% 55.32%
1998 40 35 29 26 21 22
    87.50% 72.50% 65.00% 52.50% 55.00%
1999 55 48 38 33 30 27
    87.27% 69.09% 60.00% 54.55% 49.09%
2000 44 41 34 33 28 25
    93.18% 77.27% 75.00% 63.64% 56.82%
2001 38 34 27 24 17 16
    89.47% 71.05% 63.16% 44.74% 42.11%
2002 89 80 71 62 53 49
    89.89% 79.78% 69.66% 59.55% 55.06%
2003 73 72 61 53 46 40
    98.63% 83.56% 72.60% 63.01% 54.79%
2004 129 120 101 93    
    93.02% 78.29% 72.09%    
2005 81 79      
    97.53%        
Weighted        
Average:   93.83% 77.57% 69.63% 57.52% 52.80%
Table 9:     General Curriculum (Major = 'GECU')
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 186 164 135 125 114 109
    88.17% 72.58% 67.20% 61.29% 58.60%
1997 158 132 104 87 75 72
    83.54% 65.82% 55.06% 47.47% 45.57%
1998 200 165 126 108 96 96
    82.50% 63.00% 54.00% 48.00% 48.00%
1999 198 174 132 120 110 102
    87.88% 66.67% 60.61% 55.56% 51.52%
2000 230 200 145 135 120 113
    86.96% 63.04% 58.70% 52.17% 49.13%
2001 211 177 134 125 105 100
    83.89% 63.51% 59.24% 49.76% 47.39%
2002 250 214 157 135 117 105
    85.60% 62.80% 54.00% 46.80% 42.00%
2003 246 201 138 130 109 110
    81.71% 56.10% 52.85% 44.31% 44.72%
2004 244 215 169 151    
    88.11% 69.26% 61.89%    
2005 223 187      
    83.86%        
Weighted        
Average:   85.04% 63.45% 57.72% 49.21% 46.89%
Table 10:     Regulated Admission (Major = 'RADM')
Entering First First Second Second Third Third
Fall Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring
Class Term Term Term Term Term Term
1996 56 49 34 28 20 20
    87.50% 60.71% 50.00% 35.71% 35.71%
1997 94 73 47 40 31 23
    77.66% 50.00% 42.55% 32.98% 24.47%
1998 60 43 26 29 22 16
    71.67% 43.33% 48.33% 36.67% 26.67%
1999 91 74 41 34 28 23
    81.32% 45.05% 37.36% 30.77% 25.27%
2000 75 62 34 36 22 16
    82.67% 45.33% 48.00% 29.33% 21.33%
2001 84 62 38 28 23 12
    73.81% 45.24% 33.33% 27.38% 14.29%
2002 78 61 40 30 24 22
    78.21% 51.28% 38.46% 30.77% 28.21%
2003 44 35 18 17 13 11
    79.55% 40.91% 38.64% 29.55% 25.00%
Weighted        
Average:   78.01% 45.60% 40.87% 30.56% 23.15%



Notes:
  1. Information about retention by department for the Fall 2005 cohort is included in the Appendix.
  2. The previous iteration of this report was IR Series, Vol. 05-06, No. 6, September 20, 2005.
  3. Throughout this report, the average one-semester retention rate (from first Fall term to first Spring term) was calculated from six cohorts:  the entering freshmen of Fall 2000, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, Fall 2004, and Fall 2005.
  4. In this report, “Independent Programs” is not included as a single unit.  Instead, freshmen classified with a major of “General Curriculum” or “Regulated Admission” are included, but freshmen in “Pre-Law” and "General Health Studies" are excluded.  However, Pre-Law and General Health Studies are included in the Appendix.
  5. In Table 7, there were no first-time, full-time freshmen in Interdisciplinary Studies and Extended Education (ISEE) in Fall 2003, Fall 2004, or Fall 2005.
  6. In Table 10, there were no first-time, full-time freshmen in Regulated Admission in Fall 2004 or Fall 2005.

Appendix

One-Semester Rates for First-Time Freshmen,
By Department

Fall 2005 Cohort

                          FIRST   FIRST               

                           FALL  SPRING               

          UNIT    DEPT     TERM    TERM         PERCENT

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           AH     AGRI       51      43      .    84.31

                  HEC        20      18      .    90.00

          ---------------------------------------------

           AH                71      61      .    85.92

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           AS     BIOL       41      32      .    78.05

                  CAS        10       9      .    90.00

                  CHEM       66      60      .    90.91

                  CSC        38      33      .    86.84

                  EASC        2       2      .   100.00

                  ENG        27      24      .    88.89

                   FL         9       8      .    88.89

                  HIST       15      12      .    80.00

                  IEP         1       .      .      . 

                  MATH        5       5      .   100.00

                  PHYS        5       5      .   100.00

                  POLS        9       8      .    88.89

                  PSY        44      39      .    88.64

                  SOC        17      11      .    64.71

          ---------------------------------------------

           AS               289     248      .    85.81

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           BA     BBUS      171     152      .    88.89

                  EFM         2       2      .   100.00

          ---------------------------------------------

           BA               173     154      .    89.02

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           ED      CI       118     108      .    91.53

                  HPED       10       8      .    80.00

                  MUSA       61      55      .    90.16

          ---------------------------------------------

           ED               189     171      .    90.48

          ---------------------------------------------


                          FIRST   FIRST               

                           FALL  SPRING               

          UNIT    DEPT     TERM    TERM         PERCENT

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           EN      BE        75      69      .    92.00

                  CEE        44      42      .    95.45

                  CHE        29      28      .    96.55

                  ECE        60      55      .    91.67

                  ISE         3       2      .    66.67

                   ME        93      88      .    94.62

                  MIT         3       3      .   100.00

          ---------------------------------------------

           EN               307     287      .    93.49

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                      

           IP     GECU      223     187      .    83.86

                  GEPL        5       3      .    60.00

                   GHS       72      67      .    93.06

          ---------------------------------------------

           IP               300     257      .    85.67

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                       

           NU     NURS       81      79      .    97.53

          ---------------------------------------------

           NU                81      79      .    97.53

          ---------------------------------------------

                                                       

          ---------------------------------------------

           UNIVERSITY     1,410   1,257      .    89.15

          ---------------------------------------------

 




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