Credit Momentum: First Semester Outcomesfor the Fall 2019 Freshmen

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Credit momentum, defined as taking 15 or more units in the first semester, is associated with higher graduation rates, especially for students of color.

The Fall 2019 Freshman cohortOne of the key pieces of Matadors Rising has been to encourage students to enroll in 15 or more units. The launch of the Matador Academic Challenge in Fall 2019 allowed them to do so with relatively less at stake.

As a result, a record 60.6% of the full timefreshmen in Fall 2019 enrolled in 15 ormore units.

This translates to an additional 755 freshmen enrolling in 15 or more units in Fall 2019. This was true across all demographic groups, by race1, Pell status, and first generation status.

This report focuses on the full-time freshmen only, which is the focus of the GI2025 efforts. For a fuller discussion of credit momentum, see our first credit momentum report and related research literature.

pellrecipient

34%52%

non-pellrecipient

39%60%

firstgeneration

34%53%

continuinggeneration

41%60%

betterserved

white

44% 37% 44%62% 62%60%

asianamerican

multirace

41%60%

latinx black

34% 38%54% 56%

traditonally underserved

34%54%

f18 ftf f19 ftf

percentage enrolled in 15 units or more

% e

nro

lled

in 15

un

its

or

mo

re

1Exceptions to this are American Indian students (of which there is only 1 in the Fall 2019 FTF cohort) and International students (among whom there was a decrease in the proportion taking 15 or more units).

20

50

60

70

40

30

f18 ftf f19 ftf

39.4%

60.6%

53.7% increase

Fall Semester Outcomes

Now that their first term grades have come in, we wanted tolook at outcomes for the Fall 2019 freshmen by momentumstatus. All of the first semester outcomes indicate improved student outcomes associated with taking 15 or more units, and this is true for all demographic groups.

Full-time freshmen enrolled in 15 or more units achieved higher first term GPAs than their peers who were taking fewer than 15 units.

2.0

0

1

2

3

4

2.3 2.6

2.933.20 3.20 3.162.96 2.823.28

2.78 2.54

3.03

2.53 2.25

2.512.76

2.522.77

2.823.08

2.512.78

2.933.15

2.9 3.2 3.5

better served

overall

traditionally underserved

pell recipient

non-pell recipient

first generation

continuing generation

wh

ite

asi

an

am

eric

an

mu

lti

rac

e

lati

nx

bla

ck

<15 units 15+ units

2.61 2.89

first-term gpas by momentum status and demographic group

firs

t te

rm g

pa

betterserved

whiteasian

americanmultirace

16%9%

percentage on academic probation by momentum status and demographic group

Additionally, full-time freshmen enrolled in 15 or more units were less likely to be on academic probation than their peers who were enrolled in fewer than 15 units.

<15 units 15+ units

latinx black

traditonally underserved

28%17%

pellrecipient

28%18%

non-pellrecipient

18%10%

firstgeneration

28%17%

overall

25%

15%

continuinggeneration

15%10%

12% 8% 15% 9% 22% 13%

27% 16% 35% 25%

ConclusionFall outcomes look very promising, and the research literature indicates that the benefits of credit momentum in the first semester will continue. We will continue to follow outcomes for these and future credit momentum students to better understand how best to support our students.

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