These measures are in alignment with the status of MSU Texas as a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) and the goals outlined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) as part of the strategic plan for Building a Talent Strong Texas.
Midwestern State University monitors the eight-year graduation rates of full-time/first-time students, full-time transfer students, and Pell Grant recipients. MSU Texas also tracks the six-year graduation rates of its graduate students. While the institution has recently expanded to include its first doctoral program, it will be a few years before data regarding graduates from the doctoral program can be collected, thus only Master’s-level data is included below.
The attainment of a degree represents the culmination of the higher education experience. Additionally, as a Texas public institution, graduation rates are an important indicator of the THECB 60x30 plan to increase the percent of the Texas population holding a higher education credential.
As both a Texas public institution and member of COPLAC, MSU Texas refers to IPEDS-generated comparison data from these peer groups, as well as its own trends, to determine minimum thresholds of acceptability and achievement goals for its graduation rates.
This section includes the eight-year graduation rates of undergraduate students and six-year graduation rates of graduate students.
| Cohort | All Undergraduates | Pell Recipients |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2007 | 48% | N/A |
| Fall 2008 | 52% | 49% |
| Fall 2009 | 50% | 46% |
| Fall 2010 | 52% | 44% |
| Fall 2011 | 50% | 45% |
| Four-Year Average | 51% | 46% |
| Minimum Threshold | 51% | |
| Achievement Goal | 57% | |
| Cohort | All Undergraduates | Pell Recipients |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2007 | 48% | N/A |
| Fall 2008 | 47% | 40% |
| Fall 2009 | 44% | 39% |
| Fall 2010 | 48% | 42% |
| Fall 2011 | 43% | 39% |
| Four-Year Average | 46% | 40% |
| Minimum Threshold | 34% | |
| Achievement Goal | 55% | |
| Cohort | All Undergraduates | Pell Recipients |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2007 | 51% | N/A |
| Fall 2008 | 56% | 54% |
| Fall 2009 | 55% | 50% |
| Fall 2010 | 55% | 45% |
| Fall 2011 | 55% | 48% |
| Four-Year Average | 55% | 49% |
| Minimum Threshold | 59% | |
| Achievement Goal | 62% | |
| Cohort | Gradation Rates |
|---|---|
| Fall 2013 | 73% |
| Fall 2014 | 61% |
| Fall 2015 | 75% |
| Fall 2016 (Five-Year) | 72% |
| Fall 2017 (Four-Year) | 70% |
| Five-Year Average | 70% |
| Minimum Threshold | 65% |
| Achievement Goal | 70% |
MSU Texas has identified improving fall-to-fall retention rates as a critical first step. See next section for more details.
MSU Texas uses disaggregates fall-to-fall retention rates by key populations, including full-time first-time and transfer students, Black and Hispanic students, and first-generation students. As a member of the THECB Master’s peer group, retention rates for graduate students are also reported. Due to more variable start dates of graduate programs, the retention rates of graduate students are not based on a given cohort and instead are calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the listed fall semester by the number of students enrolled in the previous fall who have not yet graduated.
Retention rates have been a consistent indicator of student success at both the state and federal level and are an indicator of how well students are adjusting to the demands of college life. Retention rates also drive graduation rates and provide more immediately actionable data.
As both a Texas public institution and member of COPLAC, MSU Texas refers to IPEDS-generated comparison data from these peer groups, as well as its own trends, to determine minimum thresholds of acceptability and achievement goals for its retention rates.
The section includes the disaggregated retention rates for full-time first-time students (Figure 5), full-time transfer students (Figure 6), and graduate students (Figure 7).
| Cohort | Overall | Black | Hispanic | First-Gen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 65% | 55% | 64% | 69% |
| Fall 2018 | 67% | 62% | 69% | N/A |
| Fall 2019 | 66% | 62% | 64% | 65% |
| Fall 2020 | 63% | 55% | 70% | 60% |
| Four-Year Average | 65% | 58% | 67% | 65% |
| Minimum Threshold (Texas) | 64% | |||
| Achievement Goal (COPLAC) | 75% | |||
| Cohort | Overall | Black | Hispanic | First-Gen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 74% | 67% | 74% | 72% |
| Fall 2018 | 75% | 60% | 69% | N/A |
| Fall 2019 | 74% | 72% | 74% | 72% |
| Fall 2020 | 70% | 64% | 70% | 70% |
| Four-Year Average | 73% | 66% | 72% | 71% |
| Minimum Threshold (Texas) | 73% | |||
| Achievement Goal (COPLAC) | 75% | |||
| Cohort | Overall | Black | Hispanic | First-Gen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 71% | 60% | 69% | 85% |
| Fall 2018 | 72% | 59% | 66% | N/A |
| Fall 2019 | 68% | 56% | 75% | 91% |
| Fall 2020 | 70% | 67% | 75% | 72% |
| Four-Year Average | 70% | 60% | 72% | 83% |
| Minimum Threshold (Texas) | 72% | |||
| Achievement Goal (COPLAC) | 74% | |||
This section describes initiatives devised by MSU Texas to improve retention rates.
In September of 2021, the Interim President charged the Provost and Vice President for Enrollment Management to bring the campus together to discuss enrollment and retention. The following priorities were defined for the task force:
- Within the fall 2021 semester, identify immediate actionable items that would improve retention for the current academic year and increase recruiting efforts leading into fall 2022.
- For AY 2022, identify actionable items to positively impact both enrollment and retention. These must be identified during AY 2021 to have sufficient time for impact.
- Create the framework for an ongoing plan and standing committee that will provide continuous review and improvement of enrollment and retention.
The task force consisted of over 60 faculty, staff and students. As a result of the task force, 4 committees were developed that include Undergraduate Recruiting, Graduate Recruiting, Retention and Innovation and Strategic Initiatives.
Midwestern State University takes seriously its responsibility to help its first-year students acclimate to college. One key component of our First-year Experience programming is the fall semester First-year Seminar Learning Communities.
During the fall semester, we link core courses to a section of MWSU 1230: First-year Seminar, and all new students are required to enroll in one (there are some exceptions, but the academic counselor will guide new students through this process).
These Learning Communities of 15-20 students meet one hour each week and are led by peer mentors trained to deliver a first-year seminar curriculum. The seminar gives students opportunities to learn about campus resources and study skills, and apply these skills to shared academic tasks.
Texas colleges and universities are guided by the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), which is a Texas statute that outlines developmental education. The purpose of the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) program is to guide Texas public institutions of higher education in determining whether entering, non-exempt students are ready for entry-level college coursework in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics through the administration of the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). Students who do not meet one or more of the established benchmarks of the TSIA are required to participate in developmental education support prior to, or together with, enrollment in college-level coursework. Developmental supports such as corequisite and non-course competency-based options help students succeed in meeting their academic and career goals.
MSU Texas expanded its dual credit options to provide students the necessary courses that will launch their college career towards a two year or four year degree and to push students towards the goals set out by the 60x30TX plan. These dual credit opportunities focus on the liberal arts core curriculum and provide students with the challenges of taking college level courses. From 12 dual credit students in 2018, it is anticipated that MSU Texas will enroll approximately 400 dual credit students in the fall of 2022. Students pursuing dual credit are taking core classes, which concentrate on the liberal arts.
To better serve Hispanic and first generation families in Region IX, as well as the DFW area, MSU Texas partners with Café Con Leche and its educational consultant, Mr. Gonzalo Robles. Café Con Leche allows families to learn more about higher education and career opportunities for their children. Educational sessions take place in familiar places, such as schools, universities, community centers, neighborhoods and churches around the state. Led by Mr. Robles, MSU Texas attends these events to provide insight into the college admissions and financial aid processes. Forums are conducted in English and Spanish to better serve stakeholders.
MSU Texas monitors the career-readiness of its students through tracking licensing exam pass rates for students entering licensed professional fields. The reported rates are based on the initial attempts of students to pass the licensing exams.
Passing the licensure exam is an important culmination of a student's education and signifies their readiness to enter licensed professional fields. Pass rates for nursing and education have been of historical importance to the institution, to the program accrediting bodies, and to the State of Texas.
The state has set a minimum acceptable pass rate of 80% for nursing and 90% is the minimum acceptable pass rate for education. The goal of MSU Texas is for 100% of program graduates in both education and nursing to pass their licensing exams.
Education students consistently surpass the 90% minimum threshold, with some years meeting or exceeding the achievement goal of 95%. Although NCLEX pass rates for nursing students occasionally dip below the minimum threshold of 80%, the five-year average at 85% exceeds this threshold.
| Year | Nursing | Education |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-2017 | 88% | 95% |
| 2017-2018 | 73% | 90% |
| 2018-2019 | 88% | 94% |
| 2019-2020 | 89% | 96% |
| 2020-2021 | 87% | 93% |
| Five-Year Average | 85% | 94% |
| Minimum Threshold | 80% | 90% |
| Achievement Goal | 85% | 95% |
Because the licensure pass rates for Nursing and Education meet their minimum thresholds, there are no current strategies in place to improve these outcomes.