About BCLAP
BCLAP tables are available at this site according to whether the students entered as first-time baccalaureate-seeking freshmen, transfer baccalaureate-seeking students, or masterŐs-seeking graduate students. For each, we have provided overall figures as well as figures for various demographic groups. Included below are a number of tables as well as definitions and examples for effective use of these tables. If you have any questions, e-mail Michael Ayers at mrayers@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Initial Count:
The total number of students in the initial cohort, in the fall of the year given. The second line of the table heading indicates the population of the initial cohort. To truly be considered a cohort, a table must contain first-time students. Otherwise, it will be difficult to make assertions about the length of time students spend in the program, which is the fundamental purpose of our study.
Retention Rate:
The percentage of students from the original cohort returning as of a given number of years. For example, if 100 students entered as members of the fall 1995 cohort, and 80 enrolled in fall 1996 under the same degree status, then the one-year retention rate would be 80%.
Cumulative Graduation Rate:
The percentage of students from the original cohort who have graduated within a given number of years. For example, if 20 students from the same hypothetical 100-student fall 1995 cohort had graduated before the start of the 1999 fall semester, the four-year cumulative graduation rate for that cohort would be 20%. It is important to note that the four-year graduation rate does not include students graduating during the fall 1999 semester, only those who have graduated before it. Further, as a cumulative rate, the annual rate always includes students from the cohort who have earned the relevant degree in a prior semester.
Persistence Rate:
The sum of the retention and graduation rates for a given year. If the four-year retention rate for students in the fall 1996 cohort is 30%, and the four-year graduation rate for the same cohort is 15%, the persistence rate would be 45%. Another way of putting this is that 45% of all students in the fall 1996 cohort are either still enrolled as of fall 2000, or have graduated. Persistence rate is an important way of accounting for retention in later years without penalizing the school for successful graduation rates.
Attrition Rate:
The difference between the full size of the entering cohort (100 percent) and the persistence rate. The attrition rate includes stop-outs (students not returning in a given semester, who return in some subsequent semester), drop outs (who have did not return to college, and will not), and transfer-outs, unless otherwise specified.