Facts about First-Year Students
at Central Connecticut State
University
Presented by
Braden J. Hosch, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research & Assessment
May 9, 2008
How many first-year students
attend CCSU?
• 2,270 students classified as “first-year”
in Fall 2007 (0-25 earned credits)
• 1,469 students are “full-time first-time”
students
What proportion of full-time
first-time students are women?
CCSU Full-Time First-Time
All Students - Percent Female
Students 65%
60%
55%
46% 50%
54% 45%
40%
Male
Nat'l Peer Group 50th %ile
Female
Nat'l Peer Group 25th %ile
Central Connecticut State University
What proportion of full-time first-time
students are from under-represented
racial or ethnic groups?
0% 2% African American or Black, Non-
Hispanic
8% 5% American Indian or Alaska
1%
Native
5% Asian or Pacific Islander
Hispanic
Non-Resident Alien
79%
Unknown
White, Non-Hispanic
How does CCSU’s overall minority
enrollment compare to that of peer
institutions?
Fall Enrollment (Total) - Percent Minority
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Nat'l Peer Group 50th %ile Nat'l Peer Group 25th %ile
Central Connecticut State University
What was the mean combined
math and critical reading SAT
score of full-time first-time
students entering in Fall 2007?
SAT Section Mean Score
Combined 1,011
Math 510
Critical Reading 501
Is the mean SAT score at CCSU
trending upward or downward?
Mean SAT Scores by Year
1040 1031 1032
1029 1027
1030
1020
1011
1010 1007 1007 1006 1020
1004 1004 1016 1015
1000 1012
1006
990 984
981
980 975
970 962
957
960
950
940
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
CCSU Entering Full-Time First-Time Student Mean
CT Public Schools Graduating Senior Mean
National Mean
Among full-time first-time
students what is the highest level
of either parent’s education?
HS or
Less, 22%
College Some
Degree, 58% College, 20%
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported their family income is less than
$50,000 per year?
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15% 34%
10% 25%
5%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported they smoked cigarettes, drank beer, or
drank wine/liquor in the past year?
60% 57%
53% 52%
50% 45%
40% CCSU
30%
20% Other Master's
10% 8% Comprehensive
10%
Universities
0%
Drank Beer Drank Wine or Smoked
Liquor Cigarettes
What proportion of full-time first-time
students reported making mostly A’s in
high school?
80% 70%
61%
60%
40% 33%
20%
20% 10% 6%
0%
A B C or Lower
CCSU Public 4-Year Colleges
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported they frequently were bored in class
(i.e. high school) during the past year?
60%
50%
40%
30%
53%
20% 44%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported they intend to earn a
master’s, doctoral, or other graduate degree?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 65% 66%
20%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported CCSU was the college of their first
choice? Second choice?
70% 63% 66%
60%
50% CCSU
40%
30% 27% 26%
Public 4-
20% Year
10% Colleges
0%
First Choice Second Choice
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported they estimate chances are “very good”
they will be satisfied with their college?
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20% 45%
15%
37%
10%
5%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What were the top reasons reported by full-
time first-time students for attending college?
Reason Pct Rated Very
Important
To be able to make more money 74%
To get training for a specific career 70%
To learn more about things that interest me 69%
To be able to get a better job 67%
To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas 56%
To prepare myself for graduate or professional school 52%
My parents wanted me to go 45%
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported spending less than 5 hours per week
studying or doing homework during their last
year in high school?
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 85% 80%
30%
20%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What proportion of full-time first-time students
reported spending 10 hours per 7-day week or
less on academic work outside of class?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 58% 50%
20%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
What proportion of full-time first-time students
spend less than 16 hours per 7-day week
working off-campus?
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 66% 76%
20%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
Hours per 7-day week spent preparing for class
(studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, analyzing
data, rehearsing, and other academic activities) * Hours per 7-day week
spent working OFF campus
100% 7%
14% 10%
90%
80% Hours per 7-day week
28% 41% spent preparing for class
70% 32%
60% 21 hours or more
50%
40%
30% 63% Hours per 7-day week
54% 52%
20% spent preparing for class
10% 11- 20 hours
0%
0 - 10 hours 11- 20 hours 21 hours or
(N=81) (N=40) more (N=29) Hours per 7-day week
spent preparing for class
Hours per 7-day week spent working OFF 0 - 10 hours
campus
How often do full-time first-time students
report preparing two or more drafts of a paper
or assignment before turning it in?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 58%
20% 38%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
Percent Responding “Very Often” or “Often”
How often do full-time first-time students
report coming to class without completing
readings or assignments?
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
26%
17%
5%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
Percent Responding “Very Often” or “Often
How often do full-time first-time students
report participating in a community-based
project (e.g. service learning) as part of a
regular course?
12%
10%
8%
6%
11%
4%
2% 5%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
Percent Responding “Very Often” or “Often
How often do full-time first-time students
report working harder than they thought they
could to meet an instructor's standards or
expectations?
60%
50%
40%
30%
54%
20% 41%
10%
0%
CCSU Other Master's
Comprehensive Universities
Percent Responding “Very Often” or “Often
How does the educational engagement of
CCSU full-time first-time students
compare with other students nationwide?
CCSU
100
CSU
System
National Percentile
75
50 45
40
30
25 25 25
25 20
15
10 10
0
Academic Active and Student- Enriching Supportive
Challenge Collaborative Faculty Educational Campus
Learning Interaction Experiences Environment
Factors that most affect engagement:
Respondents
Collaborative
Environment
Experiences
Educational
Supportive
Interaction
Active and
Challenge
Academic
Enriching
Learning
Student-
% CCSU
Campus
Faculty
First Year Students Cohen’s d
One or more hours per 7-day week spent 47% 0.41 0.50 0.73 0.58
participating in co-curricular activities (b)
Eleven or more hours per 7-day week spent 42% 0.77 0.38
preparing for class (a)
Most grades are B+ or higher up to now 45% 0.33
Entire educational experience at institution is rated 75% .044 0.51 1.09
“good” or “excellent”
Living on Campus 59%
Working for pay one or more hours per week ON 19%
CAMPUS
Fifteen hours or fewer per 7-day week spent 66%
working for pay OFF CAMPUS
At least one parent earned a college degree 66% 0.39
What are the graduation and retention rates of
full-time first-time students at CCSU?
One-Year Retention Rate and Six-Year Graduation Rate of Full-Time
First-Time Students
90% National Peer
80% Group Median
79%
80% 77% 1-Year
72% Retention Rate
79% 78%
70% 75% National Peer
69% Group Median
60% 6-Year
Graduation
49% Rate
50% 46% Institutional 1-
Year Retention
40% 44% Rate
40% 40%
30% Institutional 6-
Year
Graduation
Rate
Fall of Entry
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20% 1999
10%
0%
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 1999
20%
10% 2000
0%
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 1999
30%
20% 2000
10% 2001
0%
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 1999
30% 2000
20%
10% 2001
0% 2002
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% 1999
40% 2000
30%
20% 2001
10% 2002
0%
2003
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
60% 1999
50%
40% 2000
30% 2001
20%
10% 2002
0% 2003
2004
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70%
1999
60%
50% 2000
40% 2001
30%
20% 2002
10% 2003
0%
2004
2005
First Semester GPA
One-Year Retention Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
100%
90%
80%
70% 1999
60% 2000
50%
40% 2001
30% 2002
20%
10% 2003
0% 2004
2005
2006
First Semester GPA
Six-Year Graduation Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20% 1999
10%
0%
First Semester GPA
Six-Year Graduation Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20% 1999
10% 2000
0%
First Semester GPA
Six-Year Graduation Rates by First
Semester Grade Point Average
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 1999
20% 2000
10%
2001
0%
First Semester GPA
Graduation Rate by First Semester GPA
(Full-Time First-Time Students Entering
1999, 2000, 2001)
70%
63% Distribution of
60% 1st Semester
6-year Graduation Rate
50% 48% GPAs
40% Below 2.0
30% 2.0-2.99 26%
32%
20% 3.0-4.0
9%
10%
42%
0%
1st Semester GPA