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The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (OSA) was established July 1, 2000 by the state law known as the A Plus Education Act. The mission of OSA is to provide accountability for all of Georgia’s education system from prekindergarten through postsecondary levels that will result in:

      Improving student achievement and
      Improving school completion.

As part of this mission, OSA is proud to present its third annual report on the University System of Georgia (USG). USG's Board of Regents was created in 1931 to unify public higher education under a single governing body. The Board governs 34 institutions that are organized into five sectors: 4 research universities, 2 regional universities, 13 state universities, 2 state colleges, and 13 two-year colleges. To learn more about USG institutions, visit the USG website: http://www.usg.edu/

2003-2004 Annual Report Card:

OSA's third annual report card on USG focuses on three indicators:

• Retention rates of first-time, full-time award-seeking students,
• Graduation rates,
• Pass rates on the Regents' exams.

Data are reported as provided to OSA by USG. The data reflect the 2002-2003 academic year. The above indicators are reported for the university system as a whole, for each sector, and for each of the 34 institutions. When data are available, OSA reports these indicators for all students as well as by race/ethnicity and gender. The race/ethnic categories included for USG are Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, White, and Multiracial.

A Word About Sectors: USG colleges and universities vary widely in mission. The mission of a college or university defines its purpose, the number and types of academic programs it offers, its complexity, and other activities such as research, continuing education, economic development, and public service. Universities and colleges differ in mission, and those missions are organized into sectors. Research universities offer doctoral and professional programs, masters, bachelors' and some associate programs, perform basic and applied research, and provide public service. Regional and state universities have a limited research mission. Several offer doctorates in education and masters degrees in a wide variety of areas; all offer bachelors and associate degrees. State colleges offer a limited number of bachelors programs and many associate programs. Two-year colleges offer certificate and associate programs along with support for students who are not prepared to begin college-level work. In addition, a major function of most two-year colleges is to prepare students for transfer to a four-year college or university. Institutions also vary widely within sectors. Universities that serve predominantly full-time traditional-aged students are different in mission than those that serve part-time and older students. Whether an institution is residential or not also makes a difference in mission. All these factors should be considered when evaluating an institution of higher education.

Retention Rates

Retention for an institution of higher education is an indicator of the institution's success in keeping students enrolled from their first year to their second year. Retention rates reflect the percentage of fall semester first-time, full-time freshmen that continue enrollment the following fall semester. This report presents both institution-specific retention rates and system retention rates. Institution-specific retention rates show the percentage of fall semester freshmen that remain enrolled at the same college or university the next fall semester. System retention rates show the percentage of fall semester students that are in the same institution the next fall plus those who are enrolled in some other USG institution. Retention rates for the system as a whole, for each sector, and for each institution are presented in OSA's web reports. Results based on disaggregations by race/ethnicity and gender are also reported.

Graduation Rates

USG institutions offer a variety of degrees, programs, and certificates. OSA's web reports present information on (1) six-year graduation rates for baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree programs, (2) three-year associate degree graduation rates plus transfer rates, and (3) two-year completion rates for one-year certificates. This report presents both institution-specific graduation rates and systemwide graduation rates. Institution-specific graduation rates show the percentage of students who entered as a freshman into an institution and graduated from that institution. Systemwide graduation rates reflect those students who entered as a freshman into an institution and graduated from another institution within the university system. The data provided by USG show graduation rates assessed at 1.5 times the nominal program duration (i.e., "time-and-a-half" graduation rates). The nominal length of a baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree program is typically four years (although there are a few five-year bachelor's degree programs at some USG institutions). Consequently, the baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree graduation rates provided by USG show the percent of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students that earn a bachelor's degree within six years. The nominal duration for associate degrees is two years; certificates range from one to two years. The "time-and-a-half" rates provided by USG show the percentage of students completing associate or transferring to four-year institutions within a three-year period. The certificate program completion rates provided by USG show the percentage of students completing a certificate program in two years. The graduation rates are also shown disaggregated by race/ethnicity and by gender.

Regents' Test Pass Rates

Beginning in 1972, the USG Board of Regents implemented the Regents' Testing Program as one means by which each institution in the University System can ensure that students receiving degrees from the institution possess certain minimum skills of reading and writing. The Regents' Test has two parts: a Reading Test and an Essay Test. Students' scores on the tests are used to determine whether they have the minimum levels of reading and writing skills required for graduation. Regents' policy requires that students must take the test in the semester after they have completed 30 semester credit hours if they have not taken it previously. Students who have earned 45 semester credit hours and have not passed both parts of the test must enroll in remedial courses until they pass both parts. Detailed information about the Regents' Test is available on the Regents' Testing Program website: http://www.gsu.edu/rtp/.

The information provided by USG shows for each institution the percentage of students who pass the test before earning 45 credit hours. This information is disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender.