State University of New York College at Fredonia

Federal legislation relating to student consumer rights requires all institutions participating in Federal student assistance programs to compile and publish completion and graduation rates. The information-gathering requirements are contained in legislation known as the Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act as amended by the Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1991.

Title I of the Act requires institutions to disclose completion and graduation rates of full-time certificate or degree-seeking undergraduate students to current and prospective students by July 1, 1993 and annually thereafter. A student is considered to have completed or graduated if he or she fulfills the program's requirements within 150 percent of the normal time allotted for the program, that is six years for baccalaureate programs. Institutions may also augment these completion rates with information concerning students who left the institution prior to completion, and within 150 percent of the normal time allotted for completion, enrolled in a program at an eligible institution for which the prior program provided substantial preparation.

It is important to recognize that students withdraw from college for various reasons; academic, medical, personal, social and financial problems are among those reasons. Completion of degree requirements in more than four years, the normal time allotted for the baccalaureate degree, does not necessarily mean continuous enrollment during this interval but rather reflects the time span measured from the student's initial enrollment through degree completion, and where appropriate, includes interruptions in attendance.

The SUNY Fredonia has undertaken retention studies to determine returning and graduation rates for each new entering freshman class. These cohort statistics are updated annually by tracking entering classes through the institution over time to arrive at retention figures and ultimately, graduation or completion rates.

Of the 987 full-time first-time-in-college freshmen entering the SUNY Fredonia in Fall 2002, 622 students or 63 percent completed program requirements and were awarded baccalaureate degrees within six years. Of these full-time first-time freshmen, 47 percent received their degrees within four years and 61 percent were awarded their degree within five years after admission.