IRAP collaborates with the Undergraduate Education and Institutional Research departments on campuses to assess undergraduate student experience and learning outcomes, and provide decision support on factors influencing graduation rates, trends in degrees awarded, and outcomes.

Summary metrics can be found in the Student Success chapter of the UC Accountability Report (Chapter 3).

Interactive data dashboards can be explored at the UC Information Center's Undergraduate outcomes subject area.

Undergraduate outcomes content and analysis is separated into the four categories below:

  1. Undergraduate student experience
  2. Persistence and graduation rates
  3. Degrees awarded
  4. Outcomes

Undergraduate student experience

Extracurricular participation and student success September 2023 PDF

September 2023

UC provides a variety of extra-curricular activities for undergraduate students. This report provides information on the influence of participation in these activities on student academic outcomes.

AI Use at UC – UCUES results October 2024 PDF

October 2024

The 2024 UC Undergraduate Student Experience Survey (UCUES) included several questions related to AI to assess the extent of AI tool usage among undergraduate students at UC campuses and to evaluate their understanding of guidelines for AI use in supporting learning.

Student basic needs

UC Information Center

This dashboard provides information on basic needs and illustrates the relationship between food insecurity and/or homelessness to student learning, engagement, satisfaction, and outcomes.

Parenting students' experience and challenges at UC February 2019 PDF

February 2019

This topic brief provides a profile of undergraduate and graduate parenting students at the University of California. It examines their financial concerns, academic and social experiences and challenges, as well as their success at UC, by using responses from the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) and the Graduate Wellbeing Survey (GWS).

Global food initiative: Food and housing security at the University of California PDF

December 2017

UC is dedicated to ensuring the success of its more than 260,000 undergraduate and graduate students. This report provides information on the university’s latest data collection efforts and strategies for addressing basic needs security.

Adaptive learning technology pilot report December 2016 PDF

December 2016

This document presents a 2015-16 pilot study at the University of California exploring the use of adaptive learning technology, in this case the Assessment and Learning Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) system, to enhance student success and improve instruction.

UC undergraduate student research, expectations, experience and aspirations

UC Information Center

UC provides a rich environment for student research. Undergraduate students are engaged in various research activities and their post-graduation aspirations align with pursuing research.

Persistence and graduation rates

UC student success dashboards

UC Information Center

UC campus and systemwide dashboards, including data on retention, graduation, time-to-degree, and academic major migration.

UC undergraduate non-completion October 2021 PDF

October 2021

This report provides some insight on students who start their undergraduate education at UC and do not complete their degree at UC and sometimes not at all. Non-completion and completion at other institutions is compared across selected social demographics.

Undergraduate retention and graduation rates

UC Information Center

Explore freshman and transfer retention and graduation rates, time-to-degree, graduation GPA, and units by campus, entry cohort, and demographic.

Three-year degree pathways project August 2017 PDF

August 2017

The University of California seeks to enable all students to complete their undergraduate degrees in a timely fashion and to ensure that their education prepares them to be the next generation of leaders for California, the nation, and the world.

Degrees awarded

UC undergraduate alumni outcomes

UC Information Center

UC awards tens of thousands of bachelor degrees annually. These degree recipients go on to work in a wide variety of industries. On average, they experience a doubling of salary between 2 and 10 years after graduation. The return on investment is strong for most degrees.

STEM degree pipeline and production Link

UC Information Center

Degree recipients from the University of California’s (UC) science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs go on to conduct valuable scientific research and drive the state’s and the nation’s technology and innovation sectors. The Degrees awarded topic brief summarizes the number of UC STEM degrees awarded, UC’s share of STEM degrees awarded in the state and nation, post-graduation workforce industries, and racial/ethnic demographics.

Degrees awarded topic brief Link

Outcomes

UC 2030: Equity is excellence May 2024 PDF

May 2024

Equity is at the center of our UC 2030 goals. Learn more about strategies being deployed across the system to reach our goals and about the data tools that inform our work. This report offers an in-depth view of strategies in action and is accompanied by two quick reference appendices with campus profiles and tools in use across the system.

Understanding the value of a UC degree

IRAP webpage

The UC Office of the President’s Institutional Research and Academic Planning (IRAP) department has developed a series of topic briefs that identify specific indicators, both economic and non-economic, to more comprehensively demonstrate a college degree’s impact on students and the broader public.

Undergraduate foster youth at the University of California July 2020 PDF

July 2020

This topic brief summarizes enrollment trends, demographic characteristics, graduation rates, satisfaction with undergraduate experiences, basic needs, and post-graduation employment outcomes for UC undergraduate foster youth.

UC undergraduate alumni outcomes

UC Information Center

UC awards tens of thousands of bachelor degrees annually. These degree recipients go on to work in a wide variety of industries. On average, they experience a doubling of salary between 2 and 10 years after graduation. The return on investment is strong for most degrees.

UC alumni graduate degree outcomes

UC Information Center

Recent data confirms that a UC education enables students to achieve their graduate degree completion objectives. Nearly 40 percent of UC undergraduate alumni go on to complete a graduate degree within 15 years of graduating from UC.

UC and comparator Pell recipient graduation rates

UC Information Center

UC campuses compare favorably in both the share of Pell grant recipients and six-year graduation rates when considering American Association of Universities (AAU) peers, California State University (CSU) campuses and a selection of other large state university systems.

UC's student veteran community March 2020 PDF

March 2020

This topic brief summarizes student veteran enrollment trends, demographic characteristics, fields of study, graduation outcomes, satisfaction with undergraduate experiences, and post-graduation employment trajectories.

California K-12 teachers educated at the University of California August 2019 PDF

August 2019

The University of California awards more than 70,000 degrees per year, including 55,000 undergraduate degrees and 15,000 graduate academic and professional degrees. As these graduate leave UC and enter the California workforce, a growing number are joining California's K-12 educational system.

UC continues to lead in serving low-income undergraduates March 2019 PDF

March 2019

Data from U.S. Department of Education show that UC is unique in its commitment to enrolling and graduating Pell Grant recipients when compared to AAU private and public universities.

Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) summary data

UC Information Center

This dashboard presents summary results of student responses to UCUES by student demographics. UC uses results to better understand the academic and co-curricular experiences of students, assist with program evaluations, assess financial aid packages, and understand campus climate.

2016 Summer sessions pilot outcomes July 2017 PDF

July 2017

In 2016, three UC campuses piloted initiatives that included financial incentives with the goal of increasing the enrollment of UC undergraduate students in the summer. This report presents the results of those pilots.

Advising strategies to support timely graduation December 2015 PDF

December 2015

The University of California seeks to enable all students to complete their undergraduate degree in a timely fashion and to ensure that their education prepares them to be the next generation of leaders for California, the nation, and the world.

UC innovations in education are improving student outcomes February 2015 PDF

February 2015

UC is leveraging technology to promote student success. In January 2015, UC campuses came together to discuss strategies to increase student success at the Undergraduate Completions Conference.

IRAP experts and requests for additional information

IRAP experts: undergraduate outcomes

Tongshan Chang | Chris Furgiuele | Matt Reed | Yang Yang

Requests and information

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