Cal State universities have been making strides in improving their graduation rates, with 14 campuses seeing an increase in their six-year graduation rates compared to the previous year. San Jose, East Bay, and Fresno were among the campuses that saw the greatest improvements in their graduation rates.
However, not all campuses experienced positive results, as nine schools in the system actually saw a decline in their graduation rates. The smallest campuses like Cal Maritime, Stanislaus, and Monterey Bay had the largest decreases in their graduation rates.
The pandemic has posed challenges for Cal State in achieving its graduation rate goals, particularly in retaining students entering their second and third years of school, especially students of color. Campus officials are aware of the issue and are working on strategies to address this dropout rate among students of color.
Despite the setbacks, Cal State has seen a slight increase in the freshman four-year graduation rate across all campuses during the 2023-24 school year. However, the six-year freshman rate plateaued, and the four-year transfer rate actually fell.
Cal Maritime, the smallest campus in the system, faced significant challenges in maintaining its graduation rates, leading to financial difficulties and a recent decision to merge with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Other campuses like Bakersfield also saw declines in their four-year transfer graduation rates.
The overall goal for Cal State is to have 40% of first-year students graduate in four years and 70% graduate in six years by spring 2025. While individual campuses have their own graduation rate targets, none of the universities have met their six-year graduation rate targets for students who started in 2018.
On a positive note, some campuses like San Diego, Long Beach, San Jose, Sacramento, and Northridge have met their four-year graduation rate targets for first-time students who started in 2020. This indicates that progress is being made, but there is still work to be done to ensure that all students have the support they need to graduate on time.
