CU Boulder four-year graduation rate reaches 57.5%, a less than 1% increase since 2020

Jan. 15—Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the relationship between the larger cohort of four-year graduates and the graduation rate.

The University of Colorado Boulder has a four-year graduation rate of 57.5%, a number that hasn't changed by more than 1% since before 2020.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents discussed on Friday whether CU Boulder is on track to reach its goal of a 63% four-year graduation rate by 2026.

"Are we challenging ourselves or going too slow of a pace?" Regent Glen Gallegos said. "I think that's an important question."

A set of 2026 goals surrounding student success, research, diversity and fiscal strength were developed through the University of Colorado's Strategic Plan, which was established in 2021 to help guide the university toward achieving those goals in a five-year time frame.

CU System Chief Financial Officer Chad Marturano provided a progress update on the Strategic Plan goals during the Regent winter retreat on Friday. The Regents are an elected board that oversees the University of Colorado system, which includes all four CU campuses.

CU Boulder improved its four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen to 57.5% in fiscal year 2023. In 2019 it was 53%, in 2020 was 57.3%, in 2021 was 57.8% and in 2022 was 57.4%.

Marturano also shared data that showed an additional 775 students completed a degree in four years 2023 compared to 2019.

Regent Mark VanDriel said there would need to be a big uptick in the four-year graduation rate for the university to meet its goal by 2026.

"To me, the goal is to be on pace for 63% and we're not," VanDriel said.

President Todd Saliman said he thinks Boulder will not achieve its graduation rate goals by 2026, but it's likely the campus will meet those goals in the years following.

Saliman said goal setting is challenging because there's a need to balance between being realistic and aspirational.

"You don't want to set goals you're going to achieve by doing business as usual," Saliman said.

Regent Ken Montera said the goals are meant for people to react to, and if the goal is missed, then strategies will be readjusted and changed.

"We may want to think about our aspirations and what we really need to expect of ourselves," Montera said.

CU Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano said it's a great achievement to improve graduation rates from 53% to 57%, and that a contributing factor could be CU Boulder's guaranteed tuition policy that locks in a fixed four-year tuition rate for students.

Marturano also presented an update on retention rates. The one-year retention rates for freshmen can be a big indicator of whether a student will graduate, helping to predict graduation rates.

"I think the key is how does that retention rate look, and that will help us look at the graduation rate," DiStefano said. "That's why I'm confident we will see increases because we keep seeing retention go up."

The one-year retention rate for first-time freshmen was 89.1% from the fall of 2022 to the fall of 2023. This is an improvement of 1.3% from the previous academic year. The 2026 goal is 96%.

For underrepresented minority students, the one-year retention rate is 85.3%, an improvement from the previous year's rate of 81.8%. The 2026 goal is 94%. Underrepresented minority students include Hispanic, Black and American Indian students.

The Regents also looked at the six-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen.

The six-year graduation rate for freshmen at CU Boulder was 74.9% in fiscal year 2023. In 2019 it was 69%, 72.4% in 2020, 74% in 2021 and 74.7% in 2022. The 2026 goal is to reach an 81% six-year graduation rate.

"The students who are graduating in year five and year six, these are the students who have a double major or a major and minor," DiStefano said. "They're doing more and staying longer."

Regent Callie Rennison said having a student graduate in six years is not bad because they can complete a master's program or graduate with two bachelor's degrees.

"I don't want people to think it's terrible not to be done in four years," Rennison said.

CU also tracks four-year and six-year graduation rates for minority students who are first-time freshmen.

The six-year graduation rate for first-time underrepresented minority students was 70.7% in fiscal year 2023 compared to a 61.9% rate in 2019. The 2026 goal is to reach a 78% graduation rate.

Four-year graduation rates for minority freshmen dropped from 50.1% in 2022 to 47.7% in 2023. The graduation rate was 45% in 2019, 47.6% in 2020 and 52% in 2021. The 2026 goal is to achieve a 55% four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen minority students.

CU Boulder also has goals surrounding the percentage of its new minority students and military-affiliated students. In the fall of 2023, minority students made up 21% of new resident freshmen. Students with military affiliation made up 0.7%. CU Boulder's goal is to reach 25% new minority students and 4% military-affiliated students.

Marturano also presented an update on sponsored research awards, gifts and fundraising at CU Boulder. CU Boulder is on track to meet its annual progress goal for each. Numbers will be finalized at the end of July.

For more information on the Strategic Plan updates, visit the Regents' winter retreat agenda at tinyurl.com/4n4mdyw4.