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Right to Know

What is Student Right-To-Know?

Section titled “What is Student Right-To-Know?”

Student Right-To-Know is a federal law that requires all colleges and universities to disclose certain information to students. This handout provides the information that a college must provide to students on graduation rates and transfer-out rates for full-time students seeking degrees at Ridgewater College.

What is a graduation rate and what is a transfer-out rate?

Section titled “What is a graduation rate and what is a transfer-out rate?”

Federal regulations specify how to calculate the graduation and transfer rates. The rates come from a study of Ridgewater students who started at the college in the fall of 2020. The study includes all first-time students who enrolled full-time that fall and were seeking to earn a degree, diploma or certificate at the college. The graduation rate is the percentage of these students who graduated from Ridgewater within three years. The transfer-out rate is the percentage of these students who did not graduate from Ridgewater, but instead transferred to another college or university within three years.

What do I need to know about these rates?

Section titled “What do I need to know about these rates?”

These rates do not report on all students at Ridgewater. The 383 first-time, full-time students in the study were 12 percent of all students enrolled at Ridgewater in fall of 2020.

What are the graduation and transfer-out rates for Ridgewater students and how do they compare to rates for other colleges?

Section titled “What are the graduation and transfer-out rates for Ridgewater students and how do they compare to rates for other colleges?”
  • The graduation rate for Ridgewater was 45 percent.
  • The transfer-out rate for Ridgewater was 10 percent.
  • The combination of the graduation rate and the transfer-out rate for Ridgewater was 55percent. The national average combined rate for similar colleges was 48percent.

Why don’t more Ridgewater students graduate or transfer in three years?

Section titled “Why don’t more Ridgewater students graduate or transfer in three years?”
  • Since Ridgewater has an “open door” mission, many new students need to take “developmental” courses to improve their reading, writing or math skills before taking other college courses;
  • Students who switch from full-time to part-time enrollment or “stop out” for one or more semesters are more likely to take more than three years to graduate;
  • Some students take jobs before they graduate;
  • Other students delay their education for personal, family or financial reasons.

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Total

Section titled “Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Total”
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate Combined Rate
Total Cohort 50% 14% 64%

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - race

Section titled “Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - race”
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate Combined Rate
American Indian or Alaska Native * * *
Asian * * *
Black or African American 29% 19% 48%
Hispanic of any race 31% 13% 44%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander * * *
Nonresident Alien * * *
Two or more races * * *
Unkown race and ethnicity * * *
White 54% 14% 68%

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Gender

Section titled “Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Gender”
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate Combined Rate
Female 51% 15% 66%
Male 50% 13% 62%

Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Financial Aid

Section titled “Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates - Financial Aid”
Graduation Rate Transfer-out Rate Combined Rate
Pell Grant Recipient 41% 12% 53%
Received neither Pell nor Subsidized Stafford Loans 59% 16% 75%
Received Subsidized Stafford Loans, but no Pell 55% 11% 65%

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