Retention Rates

The success of our School is tied to the success of our students. Among the most critical measures of success are freshmen retention rates and timely graduation rates. We closely monitor progress against these measures.

RETENTION RATES

 
 
MDJ - Progression Within University
Freshman Cohort Cohort Enrollment Retention Graduation
After 1 Yr After 2 Yrs After 4 Yrs After 6 Yrs
2014F 173 85.0% 77.5% 60.1% 75.7%
2015F 185 88.1% 80.5% 56.2%  71.9%
2016F 178 83.7% 78.1% 55.1%  
2017F 156 78.2% 77.6% 51.9%   
2018F 143 83.9% 77.6%    
2019F 130 83.9% 72.3%     
2020F 98  83.7%      
           
MDJ - Progression Within College
Freshman Cohort Cohort Enrollment Retention Graduation
After 1 Yr After 2 Yrs After 4 Yrs After 6 Yrs
2014F 173 74.6% 64.2% 51.5% 60.1%
2015F 185 78.4% 71.9% 50.8%  62.7%
2016F 178 71.9% 64.6% 46.6%  
2017F 156 67.3% 61.5%  42.3%  
2018F 143 70.6% 64.3%    
2019F 130 73.9%  57.7%    
2020F 98  75.5%      
           
MDJ - Progression Within School
Freshman Cohort Cohort Enrollment Retention Graduation
After 1 Yr After 2 Yrs After 4 Yrs After 6 Yrs
2014F 173 71.7% 59.0% 46.2% 52.0%
2015F 185 73.5% 64.9% 44.3%  53.0%
2016F 178 68.0% 57.3% 41.6%  
2017F 156 62.2% 53.2%  37.2%  
2018F 143 64.3% 55.2%    
2019F 130 71.5% 54.6%     
2020F 98 72.4%       
           

    IMPROVEMENTS IN COLLEGE READINESS

    As MDJ’s incoming first-year students’ high school GPAs have improved in recent years, their first-semester KSU GPAs have improved as well. 

    Year

    Average High
    School GPA

    Average First Fall
    KSU GPA

    2015F 3.31 3.09
    2016F 3.35 3.17
    2017F 3.37 3.05
    2018F 3.36 3.02
    2019F 3.43 3.08
    2020F 3.44 3.22
    2021F 3.51  

    Image
    Graph of High School GPAs - replicated in table
    Image
    Bar graph of First Fall KSU GPA (data replicated in table)

    For additional information about new freshmen average ACT scores and other data about student enrollment and retention, visit the University Dashboard or the office of Institutional Research.  

    HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED

    Students who make a successful transition to the college learning environment and develop solid support networks are more likely to persist and complete their degrees. Ths School of MDJ is committed to providing students with the support systems necessary to stay in school, graduate on time and achieve their professional aspirations. For example:

    • Professional academic advisors assist students with developing and achieving educational goals and aligning them with their professional goals. Each student works with an academic advisor to update their individualized academic plans at least once per semester.
    • CCI Commons, the College's living-learning community. Students living in CCI Commons benefit from in-residence resources, academic support and co-curricular programs that provide insight into career possibilities and current practices in the communication industry. Students in the community share a love for storytelling, media and design and learn from diverse groups of peers, faculty, staff and industry professionals. MDJ faculty and staff regularly participate in Commons programs.
    • Scholarships and monetary awards. The School of Media and Journalism has remained committed to providing scholarships to returning and incoming students.  Read more about the scholarships we offer

    Learn more about some of the other student resources offered by the School of Media and Journalism to help students succeed.