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CCHE Quality Indicator System
Results for CU-Boulder, Fall 2003

The summary below details individual QIS measures for CU-Boulder, with information about CU-Boulder performance relative to benchmarks and to other public institutions in the state (except Colorado School of Mines, no longer under QIS).

Tables of detailed results are also available (in Excel).

Measures 1, 2, and 3 all relate to graduation and retention rates - at the original institution or statewide, for all freshmen or minority only.

• Benchmarks for rates at the original institution are 102% of the predicted rate for the institution given entering-student academic preparation and national norms, plus or minus 2 percent points
• Benchmarks for rates at any Colorado public are, per CCHE, "Most recent two years. If increasing, highest rate. If decreasing, average rate."

Graduation and one-year retention rates of full-time first-time freshmen at the original institution. Benchmarks come from national data, given cohort test scores, percent time, and percent living on campus. For the QIS report issued January 2004, benchmarks are set at 102% of expected rates, plus or minus 2 percentage point. Except for one-year retention, CU-Boulder meets all benchmarks. All rates except the minority retention rate are the highest in the state.

• All freshmen: 4, 5, and 6-year graduation rates highest in the state. Exceed benchmarks for 4- and 5- year rates, meets benchmark for 6-year rate.
• All freshmen: Retention rate highest in state. Under benchmark.
• Minority freshmen: 6-year graduation rate (the only one used) is highest in the state. Exceeds benchmark.
• Minority freshmen: Retention rate 4.8 points under CSU’s high. Under benchmark.

Graduation and one-year retention rates of full-time first-time freshmen at any Colorado public institution (not only the original institution). This measure is designed to acknowledge the role of transfer among 4-year institutions. We do not regard this as a meaningul measure for CU-Boulder. Students graduating from institutions outside Colorado are not counted. This is a non-standard measure, so benchmarks come from internal Colorado comparisons. CU-Boulder exceeds benchmarks on 2 measures, is under benchmark on 4, with graduation rates the highest in the state except for minority 6-year rate.

• All freshmen: 4, 5, and 6-year graduation rates highest in the state. Under benchmarks for 4-, 5- and 6-year rates.
• All freshmen: Retention rate under CSU’s high. Under benchmark.
• Minority freshmen: 6-year graduation rate (the only one used) is second highest in the state. Exceeds benchmark.
• Minority freshmen: Retention rate under CSU’s high. Under benchmark.

Measure 4, Achievement scores on licensure, professional, graduate school admission, and other examinations taken by seniors and graduates

• Tests for CU-Boulder: GRE (3 parts), CPA, and four content areas of the Program for Licensing Assessments for Colorado Educators (PLACE).
• We meet 3 benchmarks, exceed 5. Benchmarks are state or national averages.
• We are highest in the state on all parts of the GRE, CPA, and on all four of the PLACE exams where we had enough test takers to calculate a score.

Measure 5, Institutional support expenditures (administrative costs) per student FTE. Benchmark from a set of public institutions with similar enrollment.

• CU-Boulder’s $1,347 is under the benchmark; this is good because lower costs per student are desirable.
• Cost per SFTE at other 4-year schools range from $408 to $1,348.

Measure 6, Undergraduate class size. Benchmarks from public institutions nationwide, selected by CCHE.

• 46% of CU-Boulder undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. This percentage of small classes is among the highest at Colorado public universities (vs. colleges), and exceeds the benchmark of 43%.
• 16% of CU-Boulder undergraduate classes have 50 or more students. This is well under CSU but still exceeds the benchmark of 11%.

Measure 7, Faculty Instructional Workload.

• CU-Boulder faculty average 6.2 hours per week in the classroom, with additional time in preparation, grading, advising, supervision of individualized instruction, curriculum planning, and the like. CU-Boulder's 6.2 hours per week exceeds the 5.9 hours per week reported for the University of Wisconsin at Madison for fall 2001 (most recent available) in "Achieving Excellence, the University of Wisconsin System Accountability Report 2002-03." Below benchmark of 7.8. The benchmark is from the National Study of Post Secondary Faculty, 1999.

Measures 8 and 9 are specified by the institution and don't count in performance funding. For CU-Boulder see

• Measure 8, Undergraduate participation in special academic opportunities. 75% of 2002 bachelor's degree recipients who began as freshman participated in at least one special academic program, including 27% in study abroad.
• Measure 9, State appropriations for undergraduate programs, per in-state undergraduate student FTE. Our per-student appropriation is 35% of the AAU public average, demonstrating excellent return on state investment.

Funding
As of early January 2004, CCHE has not issued point tallies for funding. Updates for this year's Quality Indicator Standards (QIS), as part of the Fiscal Year 2005 funding request, will be placed on the CCHE web site as completed. When available, the final point tallies for allocating that funding will also be summarized here. For information on how QIS funding worked last year, see CCHE Quality Indicator System Results for CU-Boulder, Fall 2002.

Last revision 03/28/06