Student Success at SDSU, Across the CSU Reaches All-Time Highs

“I am extremely proud of the remarkable efforts and commitment from students, faculty and staff to achieve these gains.”

New data demonstrates that California State University campuses, including San Diego State University, continue to make strides in improving student achievement through the Graduation Initiative 2025.  

Graduation rates for first-time freshmen and transfer students reached all-time highs and equity gaps have narrowed between students from historically underserved communities and their peers, as reported during two-day Graduation Initiative 2025 Symposium held at SDSU. 

“Ensuring the success of every student continues to be foundational to the work underway at every California State University campus,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. 

“I am extremely proud of the remarkable efforts and commitment from students, faculty and staff to achieve these gains,” said White. “The CSU continues to be the key to a bright future for California and for those who earn high-quality college degrees here. These data demonstrate that sustained investment in the CSU is producing good results, and with additional financial support from the state, we can maintain this positive trajectory for students.”

The preliminary data released show that since the launch of Graduation Initiative 2025:

• The four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen has increased 6 percentage points from 19.2 percent in 2015 to 25.4 percent in 2018 (a 32 percent increase).
• The six-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen has increased 4 percentage points from 57 percent in 2015 to 61.1 percent in 2018 (a 7 percent increase).
• The two-year graduation rate for transfer students has increased 7 percentage points from 30.5 percent in 2015 to 37.6 percent in 2018 (a 23 percent increase).
• The four-year graduation rate for transfer students has increased 4 percentage points from 72.9 percent in 2015 to 77 percent in 2018 (a 6 percent increase).
• Additionally, the 2018 graduation rates indicate that the CSU has begun to close persistent equity gaps:
• The graduation rate gap between underrepresented students of color and their peers narrowed two percentage points from 12.2 percent in 2017 to 10.5 percent in 2018 (a 14 percent decrease).
• The graduation rate gap between Pell-eligible students and their peers narrowed one percentage point from 10.6 percent in 2017 to 9.5 percent in 2018 (a 10 percent decrease).

Recently, U.S. News & World Report placed SDSU No. 1 nationally in graduation rate performance, based on most recent college rankings, based on new data. 

The current six-year graduation rate in the United States is 57 percent. Based on 2018 graduation data, SDSU’s six-year graduation rate remained steady at a nationally competitive 75.3 percent.

Also, data from the 2018 graduating class also show a sharp rise in four-year graduation rates—up 8 percentage points to the highest level in recent SDSU history. More than 47 percent of fall 2014 freshmen graduated in four years, compared with 30.1 percent of fall 2009 freshmen. 

Additionally, SDSU’s graduation rates for transfer students are also excelling. Two-year graduation rates for transfer students at SDSU rose from 50.2 percent to 54.8 percent, now exceeding the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 Goal of 51 percent for the 2-year transfer rate. 

The success of SDSU and its students is not due to a single program. Instead, this success is built on a host of advising, mentoring, tutoring and wellness programs tailored specifically for economically disadvantaged students, most of whom are the first in their families to attend college. The graduation rate success at SDSU is driven by a university-wide philosophy of raising expectations across campus.

At the system level, the CSU has prioritized student success, investing in additional faculty, advisors and course sections, and allocating resources to proven student and academic support programs. Last year, CSU campuses added 4,300 new course sections opening 90,000 additional seats for students. 

Also, in 2018, CSU students earned a total of 105,431 bachelor’s degrees representing an all-time high. The equity gaps are smaller than the previous year while enrolling a greater percentage of underrepresented and Pell eligible students. 

At SDSU, the six-year graduation rate for full-time freshman Pell Grant recipients was 71 percent in 2017, the most recent year for which data are available. That is within a few percentage points of the six-year graduation rate of 77.1 percent for non-Pell full-time freshmen, placing SDSU within an exclusive group of universities that has narrowed the “achievement gap” between these two groups.

Graduation Initiative 2025 is a university-wide initiative to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be successful and graduate according to their personal goals, positively impacting their future and producing additional graduates to power California and the nation.