Sul Ross State University identifies, evaluates and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement, appropriate to the College’s mission, the nature of the students we serve and the kinds of programs offered. Although SRSU monitors a wide variety of student success measures, we are reporting in three key areas: student retention and graduation, student engagement, and post-graduation success.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Principles of Accreditation, Standard 8.1 (Student Achievement) requires institutions to identify, evaluate, and publish goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. SACSCOC also indicates that the institution should use multiple measures to document student success. Requirements for publication are further specified in the SACSCOC Policy on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure. To evaluate student achievement, Sul Ross State University reviews graduate school placement, job placement, licensure/certification passage, student learning, graduation rates, retention rates, and course completion rates.
Mission Statement
Sul Ross State University offers life-changing opportunities by delivering quality undergraduate and graduate education. We foster critical thinking, creativity, diversity, and research, empowering our students to excel beyond the frontiers of what is possible. We are a Hispanic-serving public institution for the residents of the U.S./Mexico borderlands, Southwest Texas region, and beyond.
Student Achievement Highlights
SRSU’s vision is to be the “best value in Texas higher education and expand access to higher education for the underserved populations of the State. We will accomplish this by providing high quality, innovative, and flexible academic programs within a culturally inclusive environment, where students learn to develop creativity, foster critical thinking, enhance diversity, and engage in research to serve our region, state, and nation as impactful members of an educated society.”
Although SRSU monitors a wide variety of student success measures, we publish online and are reporting on the following key areas with student success measures:
Student Retention and Graduation
- Retention Rates: Student return rates from fall to fall for both undergraduate and graduate first-time, full-time entering students.
- Graduation Rates: Four-year, six-year and eight-year student graduation rates (first-time/full-time cohorts). Five-year graduation rates (first-time master’s cohort).
Student Engagement
- National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE): Student survey responses regarding student achievement.
Post-Graduation Success
- Graduate Placement: Job and graduate school placement.
- Teacher Certification Examinations: Pass rates on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) and on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) for graduate students.
To guide University actions to promote continuous improvement, SRSU establishes intended levels of performance through its targets for each of the selected student achievement measures.
Student Retention Rates
SRSU recognizes that student retention is a primary indicator of student achievement. Therefore, SRSU continuously strives to improve these rates to meet the University’s established targets and fulfill its mission.
SRSU has adopted a 55% target to be aligned with our institution’s declared target for the Texas State University System.
1 Year Retention Rates by
1 Year Retention Rates by Fall Cohort
SRSU recognizes that student retention is a primary indicator of student achievement. Therefore, SRSU continuously strives to improve these rates to meet the University’s established targets and fulfill its mission.
SRSU has adopted a 55% target to be aligned with our institution’s declared target for the Texas State University System.
1 Year Retention Rates by Ethnicity/Race
SRSU has set a goal of increasing retention rates for all students to meet the retention target of 55%.
SRSU ethnicity/race retention data indicate that the University’s Hispanic population has the highest retention rate of first-time/full-time students with a rate that has remained relatively consistent. White student retention rates have shown more inconsistency and have fallen below the 55% mark in recent years, although the most recent rate exceeds the target. Retention rates for Black students have been inconsistent in recent years but have risen slightly in the most recent reporting year.
1 Year Retention Rates by First Generation
SRSU is committed to supporting students who represent the first generation in their family to attend higher education. Not only is the higher education experience new for these students, but it is also new for their families, which can create additional challenges to retention.
While Non-First-Generation retention rates have remained steady, First-Generation retention rates have fluctuated significantly. In some years, the rate has been comparable to Non-First-Generation students, even surpassing the Non-First-Generation rate in Fall 2018; however, in other years the rate has been 5+% lower. SRSU continues to look for ways to support these students and has introduced summer enrichment programs to promote student engagement and retention.
1 Year Retention Rates by Income
SRSU also recognizes that many students face financial barriers that can greatly impact their transition to higher education. Helping both student groups to successfully navigate their first year at SRSU is key to degree completion; therefore, SRSU tracks data regarding first-year retention rates for first generation and low-income students.
While low-income student retention rates have also fluctuated over the years, the same can be said for non-low-income students. In fact, for the Fall 2018, 2019, and 2022 cohorts, the retention rate of low-income students outpaced the rate for non-low-income students. Overall, low-income student retention rates have generally remained above 50%. To further improve these rates, SRSU has expanded the financial aid staff to better support students.
1 Year Masters Retention Rates
The University tracks retention rates for graduate students. The target is 57% and this has been consistently met over the past five years. Our threshold is 46%.
Graduation Rates
The student graduation rate is one of SRSU’s primary measures of student achievement. The institution reports on the four-year, six-year, and eight-year graduation rates (our chosen Key Student Completion Indicator for SACSCOC). For graduate rates, SRSU reports a “threshold” that must always be met and the institutional target.
Graduation Rates by Years
4 Year Graduation Rates
The University has set a target level of 15.3% for the four-year graduation rate. That target is also reported to the Texas State University System.
Our target is 15.3% and the threshold is 12.0%.
6 Year Graduation Rates
The University has set a target level of 25% within 6 years of the student start date. Results for the past five years are provided below:
The past three years of SRSU’s 6-year graduation rates have shown increases over the 2013 rates and met the University’s target of 25% in each of the five years. SRSU believes that the University’s enhanced orientation programs and low teacher-student ratios promote higher graduation rates.
Our target is 23% and the threshold is 20%.
8 Year Graduation Rates
SRSU adopted the IPEDS 8-Year Outcomes for the SACSCOC Key Student Completion Indicator. These rates are disaggregated by gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics.
Our target is 29.7% and the threshold is 25%.
By Ethnicity/Race
| Cohort | Black/African American | Hispanic/Latino | White |
| 2011 | 12.2% | 24.9% | 23.4% |
| 2012 | 26.9% | 27.7% | 32.5% |
| 2013 | 13.5% | 31.3% | 27.1% |
| 2014 | 25.5% | 37.4% | 34.4% |
| 2015 | 27.7 | 31.7% | 33.7% |
Note: Graduation rates not reported for ethnic groups consisting of less than 5% of the student population.
By Gender
| Cohort | Female | Male |
| 2011 | 32.5% | 16.8% |
| 2012 | 37.2% | 20.4% |
| 2013 | 31.8% | 20.9% |
| 2014 | 46.1% | 27.5% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | 25.4% |
By Income
| Cohort | Income (Non-Pell) | Low Income (Pell) |
| 2011 | 26.9% | 20.3% |
| 2012 | 27.6% | 26.2% |
| 2013 | 25.5% | 25.7% |
| 2014 | 36.5% | 33.8% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | 33.2% |
By First Generation
| Cohort | First Generation | Non First Generation |
| 2011 | 18.4% | 29.1% |
| 2012 | 23.8% | 28.0% |
| 2013 | 21.8% | 27.2% |
| 2014 | 30.9% | 38.9% |
| 2015 | 35.1% | 28.0% |
Disaggregated data show Hispanic/Latino and White students meet or surpass the threshold (25%) most of the time. Hispanic/Latino student surpassed the target of 29.7% in three of the five reported years (2013, 2014, 2015), while White students exceeded the target in the two most recent years (2014 and 2015). In addition, Black or African American students met the threshold in three of the five reported years (cohorts 2012, 2014, and 2015). Graduation rates are not reported for ethnic groups consisting of less than 5% of the student population. Overall, males are trailing females in graduation rates. The Office of Student Affairs has organized some interventions to promote a greater sense of belonging for male students.
5 Year Masters Graduation Rates
The University has set a target graduation rate of 54% within 5 years of the student start date. Results for the past five years are provided below:
Our target is 54% and the threshold is 43%.
Student Engagement
SRSU recognizes that student perceptions of their cognitive and affective development, as well as overall satisfaction with the institution, provide additional evidence of educational accomplishment and experience. Therefore, the University continuously strives to improve these rates to meet the University’s established targets and fulfill its mission.
The National Student Survey of Engagement (NSSE) is administered to both freshmen and seniors. The following charts summarize the results of that survey.
The faculty Core Curriculum Committee set the target as “continually increasing results” or “maintaining a threshold of 75% or higher” for seniors responding with ‘very much’ or ‘quite a bit’ on the survey for selected measures.
SRSU met the target in both communication and teamwork skills. Critical thinking, empirical and quantitative reasoning, personal responsibility and social responsibility fell below the target level and generally showed a decrease from 2019 to 2020.
For the Engagement Indicators, the SRSU target is for the ratings to be “no significant difference” or “significantly higher” than the comparative group.
Reported NSSE Skills
| Skill Category | Skill | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Communication Skills | Speaking Clearly and Effectively | 75% | 77% | 84% | 76% | 76% |
| Writing Clearly and Effectively | 75% | 70% | 86% | 84% | 82% | |
| Critical Thinking | Solving Complex Real-World Problems | 68% | 56% | 72% | 63% | 63% |
| Thinking Critically and Analytically | 78% | 83% | 90% | 88% | 88% | |
| Empirical & Quantitative Skills | Analyzing Numerical and Statistical Information | 60% | 66% | 63% | 69% | 56% |
| Personal Responsibility | Developing or Clarifying a Personal Code of Values and Ethics | 78% | 64% | 75% | 72% | 69% |
| Social Responsibility | Being an Informed and Active Citizen | 58% | 62% | 74% | 61% | 64% |
| Understanding People of Other Backgrounds | 73% | 62% | 73% | 69% | 67% | |
| Teamwork | Working Effectively with Others | 81% | 72% | 80% | 74% | 77% |
Reported NSSE Engagement
| Year of Year | Student Year | Campus Environment | Learning with Peers | ||
| Quality of Interactions | Supportive Environment | Collaborative Learning | Discuss with Diverse Others | ||
| 2019 | First-Year | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference |
| Senior | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | |
| 2020 | First-Year | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | No Significant Difference |
| Senior | Significantly Lower | Significantly Lower | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | |
| 2021 | First-Year | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference |
| Senior | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | No Significant Difference | |
| 2022 | First-Year | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference |
| Senior | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | |
| 2023 | First-Year | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference |
| Senior | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | No Significant Difference | Significantly Lower | |
Post Graduation Success
Graduate Placement by Year
SRSU is committed to promoting marketable skills in all degree programs to support graduate transition to careers and/or higher education. Career placement after graduation is a key measure for the University for student success. The University graduate target rate for employment and higher education combined is 73%. SRSU continually meets and exceeds this established target.
Teacher Certification Examinations
Since its establishment in 1917 as a teacher’s college preparing teachers for public school settings in the remote area of West Texas, SRSU has fulfilled this mission for over one-hundred years. Because local school districts depend upon the University to provide qualified teachers for the students within the communities we serve, Teacher Certification continues to be a central measure of SRSU’s Student Achievement. Graduate certification also is an important measure of student accomplishment.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) sets the Education Preparation Program target, which is currently 80%, for all Education Preparation Programs (EPP). Prior to 2017-2018, TEA reported the Content Exam exclusively. In 2019-2019, TEA combined the Content Exam and the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility Exam into the overall score. Starting in 2020-2021, the Science of Teaching Reading Exam was included, so the score now reflects three separate exams combined.
SRSU has introduced tutoring sessions for students to prepare for the exam.
On the Alpine campus, the scores have consistently met or exceeded the target (80%) apart from the 2018-2019 academic year.
On the Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde sites, the scores have consistently been below the target (80%) apart from the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 academic years. During the 2020-2021 academic year, subject-specialized tutoring was offered in addition to tutoring in pedagogy practices.
Alpine
Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Uvalde
TExES for Graduate Students
SRSU also offers graduate level programs for students for a variety of certifications including principalship, educational diagnostician, counseling, reading specialist and superintendent.
On the Alpine campus, the scores have consistently met or exceeded the target (80%) across the most recent five years.
Similar to the teacher certification results, on the Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde sites, the scores have more often been below the target (80%) apart from the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 academic years.