The First Year Credit Completion Ratio Benchmarking dashboard provides a view of how successful students are at completing the credits they attempt in their first year of enrollment compared to benchmarking institutions. First-year completion ratios are linked to higher credential completion rates, so this metric can help you identify student populations that need early intervention.
The dashboard calculates each student’s credit completion ratio (CCR) by dividing the total number of credits the student earned in their first year by the total number of credits the student attempted in their first year.
The dashboard calculates each student’s CCR based on their starting term, including summer and intersession terms. It does not calculate it based on your institution’s academic year.
The dashboard calculates your institution’s CCR by finding the average of all students’ individual CCRs within a given cohort year.
Students Included
The dashboard only includes first year and transfer-in students who have attempted at least one credit in their first academic year. It does not included students who have not attempted any credits in their first academic year. The dashboard calculates each student’s first year individually, not according to the institution’s academic year, and it includes summer and intersession terms.
The dashboard includes students with an attendance status of either full-time or part-time, or unknown. The Clearinghouse determines if a student is full-time or part-time based on the total number of credits the student attempted during their first term. We collect information from institutions each academic term to determine the number of credits required for full-time vs. part-time.
Dashboard Sections
Summary
The summary at the top of the dashboard states the average CCR for students in their first academic year at the cohort institution compared to the benchmarking institutions.
Click the number of benchmarking institutions to see a list of the institutions the dashboard is using for benchmarking.
Averages
This section shows the average credits students earned and attempted and their average CCR in their first academic year at the cohort institution and benchmarking institutions.
The orange box contains data for the cohort institution. If your account represents a system of institutions or third party, you can use the Select an Institution drop-down to select a single institution to benchmark.
The blue box contains data for the benchmarking institutions. You can refine the list of benchmarking institutions using the benchmarking filters.
Average CCR by Dimension
This section shows the average CCR of the cohort institution and benchmarking institutions by dimension.
The cohort institution is represented by an orange line, and the benchmarking institutions are represented by a blue line. Once you select a dimension, you can click a category to view more detailed information in the Average CCR by Dimension for Category section of the dashboard.
Average CCR by Dimension for Category
This section shows the CCR for the cohort institution and benchmarking institutions by the selected dimension for the selected category.
For each year, the cohort institution data is shown on the left in orange, and the benchmarking data is shown on the right in blue.
Dashboard Filters
Global Filters
You can use the global filters to select the cohort and refine the students the dashboard includes. Global filters apply to the entire dashboard.
If you would like to apply multiple global filters, pause any data queries first, then select each filter individually. After you have selected the filters, restart the data queries to apply all filters at once.
The global filter options are hidden by default. Click Apply Global Filters to view them. Click the X to re-hide them.
Benchmarking Filters
You can use the benchmarking filters to refine the list of institutions the dashboard uses for benchmarking. These filters apply to the entire dashboard.
If you would like to apply both global filters and benchmarking filters, select the global filter(s) first, then the benchmarking filter(s).
Apply benchmarking filters in the following order. Make sure the Keep Checked option is selected for all filters. See Troubleshooting No Data for more information.
- Select a category from the Benchmarking drop-down.
– State: State in which the institutions are located
– HBCU: Historically black colleges and universities
– HSI: Hispanic-serving institutions
– Carnegie: Institutions classified by the Carnegie Classification system
- Select a benchmarking subcategory from the Subcategory drop-down. The subcategories available depend on the benchmarking category you select.
- Select an option from Institution Type filter (4 Year, 2 Year, or All).
- Select an option from the Public/Private filter (Private, Public, or All).
Depending on the category and subcategory you select, the Institution Type and/or Public/Private filters may not be available.
Dimensions
Select a dimension from the Select Dimension drop-down to filter the data in the Average CCR by Dimension line graph by student group: Overall, Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Age Group, GPA Range, or Credential Type Sought. Dimensions only apply to the Average CCR by Dimension section of the dashboard.
Categories
Click a category on the left side of the Total CCR by Dimension line graph to filter the CCR by Dimension for Category bar graph by category. Categories only apply to the CCR by Dimension for Category section of the dashboard. If you do not select a category, the CCR by Dimension for Category bar graph shows data for the Overall category.
Example
If you select the Race/Ethnicity dimension and the American Indian or Alaskan Native category from the Total CCR by Dimension section, the CCR by Dimension for Category bar graph will display credit completion data only for American Indian or Alaskan Native students.
Troubleshooting No Data
There are three reasons why the First Year CCR Benchmarking Dashboard might show no data:
- Not Enough Benchmarking Institutions: The dashboard requires at least five benchmarking institutions to show benchmarking data. You may have filtered the benchmarking institutions down to less than five. Remove one or more benchmarking filters.
- Not Enough Cohort Students: The dashboard requires at least 11 students to show student outcomes data. You may have filtered the students in the selected cohorts down to less than 11. Remove one or more global filters.
- Keep Checked is Not Selected: The dashboard will show no data if the Keep Checked option in any benchmarking filter is not selected. Keep Checked must be selected in all benchmarking filters. If you clear all options for any benchmarking filter, make sure you re-select the Keep Checked.
