Student Achievement Goals and Data
As an institution regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Rollins is obligated to disclose to students, constituents, and the general public statements that demonstrate the College’s “success with respect to student achievement and indicate the criteria and thresholds of acceptability used to determine that success.” (1) According to SACSCOC, measures of student achievement and thresholds of acceptability “should be consistent with the institution’s mission, the students it serves, and the kinds of educational programs offered.” (1)
In fall 2014, Rollins established that first- to second-year retention and six-year graduation rates for residential undergraduate students would serve as appropriate measures of student achievement. Following a review of national comparison data detailed in The Condition of Education 2015: Institutional Retention and Graduation Rates for Undergraduate Students, goals for each metric were established in fall 2015. (2) Also initiated in fall 2015, using data from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) StudentTracker database, was the monitoring and reporting of six-year graduation rates for students who started their college experiences at Rollins, but transferred to other institutions to complete bachelor’s degrees. (3) Rollins began this process with the 2008 new student cohort, following completion of the NSC pilot program that year.
The information presented below is intended to satisfy SACSCOC requirements and is updated annually, most recently in December 2025.
First to Second Year Retention Rate Goal: Residential Undergraduate Students
Rollins College shall retain 90% of first-time, full-time residential undergraduate students from fall of first year to fall of second year.
Performance:
| Entering class: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 2017 86% | 2018 87% | 2019 87% | 2020 83% | 2021 86% | 2022 83% | 2023 85% | 2024 82% |
Six-Year Graduation Rate Goal: Residential Undergraduate Students Who Begin and Complete Degrees at Rollins College
At least 75% of first-time, full-time residential undergraduate students who begin programs at Rollins will complete bachelor’s degrees within six years.
Performance:
| Entering class: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 2012 74% | 2013 74% | 2014 81% | 2015 71% | 2016 78% | 2017 77% | 2018 75% | 2019 78% |
Six-Year Graduation Rates: Residential Undergraduate Students Who Begin Degrees at Rollins and Complete at Any Institution, including Rollins
Performance:
| Entering Class: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 2012 90% | 2013 94% | 2014 93% | 2015 86% | 2016 89% | 2017 86% | 2018 85% | 2019 86% |
*Note: Graduation rate data obtained from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) StudentTracker for the CLA Fall 2015 cohort forward and includes all bachelor's degrees.
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(1) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. (2025). Interpretation of Core Requirement 8.1 (Student Achievement). Retrieved from https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2020/01/Interpret-CR-8.1.pdf.
(2) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2015.) The Condition of Education 2015: Institutional Retention and Graduation Rates for Undergraduate Students. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015144.pdf.
(3) For information on the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) StudentTracker database, please see https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/solutions/ed-insights/studenttracker/.