Dallas College Student Achievement

In support of Dallas College’s mission - “To transform lives and communities through higher education” - the institution sets ambitious student achievement targets. College performance is measured against these targets, and corrective actions are taken when targets fall below acceptable thresholds. Student achievement targets include IPEDS 150% completion rates, total first time in college (FTIC) and transfer-in students Fall-to-Fall retention rates, total number of credentials awarded, and licensure pass rates.

IPEDS 150% Completion Rate

Dallas College uses the IPEDS 150% graduation metric for two-year colleges as a student achievement measure. The table below shows the three-year graduation rate. The target for 2025-2026 is set at 32%, while the threshold of acceptability is 30%.

Target (2025-2026): 32%

Threshold of Accountability: 30%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
(filtered for public two-year colleges)

Fall-to-Fall Retention

Dallas College tracks its retention rate using a measure that includes both FTIC and transfer-in students that either re-enroll the following fall term, transfer out to another college, or receive a credential. Fall-to-fall retention remained the same between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The target for 2025-2026 is 64%, with a threshold of acceptability at 62%. 

Source: Dallas College Data Warehouse

Fall to Fall Retention	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023	2023-2024	2024-2025
Retention Rates	56%	62%	65%	62%	62%

Target (2025–2026): 64%
 Threshold of Acceptability: 62%

Total Credentials Awarded

Dallas College sets targets and tracks the total number of credentials awarded each year. These measures are more broad-based, as they include all students, not just students who are full-time FTIC. The target growth rate is set for 5% each year, with a threshold of acceptability at 3%. In 2024-2025, Dallas College exceeded its target. Target growth rate for 2025-2026 is set at 5% growth with 2024-2025 performance as baseline.

Course Completion

Course completion is a leading indicator of retention and graduation. Dallas College closely monitors course completion rates and targets a 1% increase annually in student progress success. However, to avoid incentives leading to grade inflation, the target range is set between 75%-79%. 2024-2025 performance was within that acceptable range.

Source: DC Data Warehouse 
Target Range: 75%–79%

Licensure and Certification Pass Rates

Dallas College is committed to preparing students for rewarding careers, tracking outcomes of licensure and certification pass rates to ensure the college is in regulatory compliance by meeting or exceeding the minimum thresholds set by the credentialing agency. Recent outcomes for 2024-2025 are shown below.