2007 Nebraska Higher Education Progress Report Approved by the Commission March 13, 2007 S1 COMMISSIONERS Mary Lauritzen, Chair Colleen A. Adam, Vice Chair Dr. Dick C.E. Davis Dr. Marilyn Harris Tim Hodges William J. Pile Eric Seacrest Dr. Joyce Simmons Jim Strand Dick Uhing Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education 140 N. 8th Street, P.O. Box 95005, Lincoln, NE 68509-5005 Phone: (402) 471-2847 · FAX: (402) 471-2886 This and all of our reports are available online at www.ccpe.state.ne.us. The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in the employment or the provision of services. S6 Table of Contents Executive Summary..................................................................................................................S1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Section 1: Increasing Postsecondary Enrollment ................................................................... 3 Nebraska Public and Independent Colleges and Universities: Total Enrollment.......................................................................................................... 3 Nebraska Public and Independent Colleges and Universities: Enrollment by Sector ................................................................................................... 4 Nebraska Public Colleges and Universities: Enrollment by Institution .............................................................................................. 5 Nebraska Independent Colleges and Universities ................................................................ 8 Nebraska Total Postsecondary Enrollment........................................................................... 9 Nebraska First-Time Freshmen Enrollments ...................................................................... 10 Strategic Objectives to Increase Postsecondary Enrollment .............................................. 14 1.1.a High School Graduation Rate ................................................................................ 15 Past and Present Trends in the Total Number of Nebraska High School Graduates..................................................................................... 15 The Proportion of Graduates from Public and Nonpublic Nebraska High Schools..................................................................................... 16 Projected Trends in the Total Number of Nebraska High School Graduates............ 17 Projected and Recent Changes in Nebraska High School Graduates by Race/Ethnicity............................................................................................... 18 Trends in the Nebraska State Four-Year High School Graduation Rates................. 20 Nebraska Four-Year Public High School Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity......... 22 Nebraska Four-Year Public High School Graduation Rates by Gender.................... 25 Nebraska Public School Districts Selected for Further Analysis ............................... 26 1.1.b Preparation for College........................................................................................... 29 Nebraska Participation Rates for the ACT Assessment and SAT I: Reasoning Test .............................................................................. 29 Nebraska SAT I: Reasoning Test Scores.................................................................. 30 Nebraska ACT Assessment Scores .......................................................................... 31 ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores............................................................. 32 Percentages of Nebraska ACT-Tested Students Ready for College-Level Coursework................................................................ 33 Nebraska ACT Composite Scores and College Readiness Percentages by Race/Ethnicity........................................................ 34 Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education – 2007 Progress Report i The Importance of the ACT-Recommended High School Curriculum..................................................................................... 36 Nebraska ACT Composite Scores of Students Who Take the ACT-Recommended Core and Students Who Take Less than the Core Curriculum.......................................................................... 36 The Percentage of Nebraska ACT-Tested Students Who Take the Core or More.............................................................................. 38 1.1.c College Continuation Rate ..................................................................................... 41 Nebraska College Continuation Rates ...................................................................... 41 Percentages of Students Who Continue Their Education at Four-Year and Two-Year Degree-Granting Institutions................................. 43 1.2 Nebraska High School Graduates Who Go to College in Nebraska................... 45 Introduction to the Enrollment Trends of Nebraska-Resident First-Time Freshmen......................................................................................... 45 Changes in the Number of Nebraska-Resident First-Time Freshmen Enrolled at Degree-Granting Institutions by Length of Time Since High School Graduation.......................................................................... 46 In-State and Out-of-State Enrollments of Nebraska-Resident First-Time Freshmen Who Graduated from High School within 12 Months of College Enrollment ............................................................ 47 In-State and Out-of-State Enrollments of Nebraska-Resident First-Time Freshmen Who Graduated from High School More than 12 Months Prior to College Enrollment............................................. 49 1.3 Non-Nebraska First-Time Freshmen Who Enroll at Nebraska Colleges and Net Migration........................................... 51 Non-Nebraska First-Time Freshmen Who Attend Nebraska Colleges and Universities.................................................................................. 51 Net Migration of Nebraska and Non-Nebraska First-Time Freshmen ....................... 54 1.4 Enrollment of First-Time Freshmen by Race/Ethnicity........................................ 57 Changes in the Numbers of First-Time Freshmen Enrolled at Nebraska Institutions......................................................................................... 57 Racial/Ethnic Representation in Nebraska’s Postsecondary Education System in Fall 2005........................................................................................... 59 A Comparison of the Representation of Racial/Ethnic Groups in Fall 2003 and Fall 2005 ................................................................................. 60 The Types of Institutions Most Frequently Attended by Each ................................... 60 Racial/Ethnic Group Representation of Racial/Ethnic Groups by Sector ................................................... 63 1.5 Financial Aid............................................................................................................ 65 The Nebraska State Grant Program and Other Sources of Title IV Financial Aid...................................................................................... 65 Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education – 2007 Progress Report ii The Nebraska State Grant Program as a Percentage of All Title IV Financial Aid................................................................................. 66 The Nebraska State Grant Program as a Percentage of Title IV Financial Aid Awarded at Nebraska Public Institutions ..................... 68 Number and Average Amount of Nebraska State Grants Awarded .......................... 71 Other Need-Based Financial Aid Programs .............................................................. 72 The Total Amount of Need-Based Aid Provided Through Nebraska Public Institutions.............................................................................. 72 Section 2: Increasing College Retention and Graduation Rates.......................................... 75 2.1 Freshmen Retention Rates (Based on IPEDS Data).............................................. 77 Full-Time Freshmen Retention Rates ....................................................................... 77 Part-Time Freshmen Retention Rates....................................................................... 81 2.2 College Graduation Rates (Based on IPEDS Data) ............................................... 85 The Overall College Graduation Rate for Nebraska.................................................. 85 College Graduation Rates by Sector and by Institution............................................. 86 College Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity ............................................................ 88 College Graduation Rates by Sector and by Race/Ethnicity ..................................... 89 College Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity and by Sector ..................................... 92 2.3 Special Report on Student Persistence, Transfer, and Completion Rates (Based on National Student Clearinghouse and Institutional Data) .......................... 95 2.3.a Estimated Freshmen Retention, Transfer Persistence Rates.................................................................................. 97 Estimated Transfer and