Student Achievement

Georgia Tech identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. Georgia Tech uses multiple measures to document student success.

Georgia Tech is a science and technology-focused public research university and, according to its mission, is committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Together, the Institute’s leadership and the Complete College Georgia (CCG) Steering Committee identify measurable goals and outcomes for student achievement. Additionally, the Strategic Plan 2029 of the University System of Georgia details Student Success Goal: The University System of Georgia will increase degree completion through a robust and intensive approach to access and student success, utilizing data analytics and best practices.

To realize this mission, Georgia Tech is dedicated to preparing students to succeed academically and to prosper in a competitive global economy. Consequently, student achievement is evaluated through multiple measures at the Institute level. The criteria include first-year retention rate, IPEDS 6-year graduation rate, Master’s degrees conferred, and Ph.D. degrees conferred. See the following table for a summary of Georgia Tech student achievement criteria, the associated threshold of acceptability, target performance, and rational for each criterion.

Note: SACSCOC: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; AAU: Association of American Universities;
IPEDS: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

Undergraduate Education

Retention Rates

First-Year retention rate is a metric used by institutions of higher education across the nation and is congruent with Georgia Tech’s mission, which is rooted in promoting high levels of student achievement as a way of developing leaders who advance technology and improve human condition. The retention rates measure the percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who return to Georgia Tech the following fall. The first-time, full-time student retention rate provides key insights with respect to whether or not students are struggling academically or socially, which generally results in student departure. It also indicates whether support systems are working as designed to impact student success.

Data as of October 17, 2024

Six-Year Graduation Rate

As a science and technology-focused institution, Georgia Tech’s STEM activities are central to its mission. The sustained economic impact made possible through a better-prepared STEM workforce is significant, and graduating a larger number of STEM students to meet workforce needs is a high priority for Georgia Tech. Therefore, in addition to retention rate, student graduation rate is another critical metric as a measure of accountability used by institutions of higher education across the nation and is also congruent with Georgia Tech’s mission to promote high levels of student achievement. Consistent with SACSCOC expectations related to student completion indicators, Georgia Tech has selected the traditional IPEDS six-year graduation rate. The six-year graduation rate measures the percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who complete their program at Georgia Tech within six years. Given the importance of an educated and skilled workforce to both the State of Georgia and to the national agenda, Georgia Tech adopted the traditional Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) six-year graduation rate as an essential student achievement criteria.

Data as of October 17, 2024

NCAA Graduation Rate

The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate to account for transfer in/out student-athletes, mid-year enrollees and recruited student-athletes at schools that do not offer athletics aid. See the following table for a summary of Georgia Tech student athlete graduation rate. Click here for athlete graduation rates by sport.

Data as of November 7, 2023

Pell Graduation Rate

Data Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates Survey

Graduate Education

The goals for graduate education at Georgia Tech are to establish an educational environment that will strengthen students’ personal and professional development; to encourage students and faculty to pursue the discovery and generation of new knowledge through research; to investigate ways of applying such knowledge for the benefit of society and humanity; and to foster the development of new tools, objects, and ideas. Georgia Tech’s graduate program enrollment continues to be strong.

Master's Degrees Conferred

As graduate education in Science and Engineering is critical to Georgia Tech’s role in fostering economic development for the State of Georgia and the nation, Georgia Tech has chosen to focus on the degree production rate for its Master’s students. The average of Master’s degrees conferred (n=2,849) from all AAU institutions over the past six years reflects the students we served and the programs we offered. For this reason, the threshold of acceptability for Master’s degrees conferred is set at 2,849 from 2019. Maintaining a reasonable threshold of 2,849 Master’s as the threshold of acceptability will ensure that Georgia Tech is contributing to the AAU’s goals for research and graduate education.

To compare Georgia Tech to our peer institutions, which include institutions of different sizes, we average degrees conferred from the five R-1, AAU peers in the southern region in 2019 (before the pandemic). For this reason, the target for Master’s degree conferred is set at 2,930. Given the growth in our graduate education over the last few years, Georgia Tech has consistently outperformed our peers over the last few years.

Data as of October 21, 2024

Ph.D. Degrees Conferred

Based on Georgia Tech’s performance, the AAU extended a membership invitation to Georgia Tech in 2010. As an R1 research university, Georgia Tech aims to maintain high quality graduate education. Compared to the Master's degree, PhD degrees require a significant investment of time and effort. The average number of PhDs awarded at AAU institutions is 486. Maintaining a reasonable threshold of 500 PhDs on average over three years will ensure that Georgia Tech is contributing to the AAU’s goals for research and graduate education.

Data as of October 21, 2024

Student Achievement Disclosure Policy and Requirements

As part of the disclosure requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 and the Policy on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that institutions publish "statements of its goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals.”

Higher Education Opportunity Act, 2008

Title I, Section 103, requires institutions eligible for Title IV funding to calculate completion or graduation rates of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time students entering that institution, and to disclose these rates to all students and prospective students. The Student-Right-to-Know requires the six-year (150 percent of time) graduation rate. This information is updated prior to the beginning of each academic year.

Selected Public R-1 Peer Institutions in the Southern Region

AAU: Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia

Non-AAU: Clemson University, North Carolina State University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, University of Georgia, Florida State University