ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½

Second Year Retention

The College’s target is to exceed the national average for Second-Year Retention by a minimum of five (5) percentage points. In support of the College’s responsibility to its students and their first-year experience at ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½, the threshold for Second-Year Retention has been established at 85%. This ensures that the College remains committed to enhancing the student experience and thereby retaining a majority of its first-year students.

The current Second-Year Retention Rate is 95% for ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½. Spelman’s prior-year Retention Rate of 94% outperformed those in the comparison group with a 6-point margin over Liberal Arts Colleges, 12 points over the national average, and 25 points over HBCUs. The 2025-26 retention rate of 95% represents a steady increase in retention from the previous year and exceeds the established benchmark of 85%.

Explanation of Table 8.1-1 Symbols and Terms 
* Liberal Arts Colleges: Carnegie Classification, Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts and Sciences Focus.
** National Average includes all 4-year Degree-granting, primarily baccalaureate or above Institutions.
***HBCU includes all 4-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
n/a – Integrated Postsecondary Education Data (IPEDS) data not available.

The 2025-26 Second-Year Retention Rate (95%) for ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½’s 2024 cohort has been further disaggregated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic level. Pell eligibility, the most closely related variable, has been used to represent socioeconomic level as shown in the chart below.

Six-Year Graduation

The College’s target is to exceed the national average Six-Year Graduation Rate by ten (10) percentage points. For the 2018 cohort, Spelman’s graduation rate of 78% is 20 points greater than the national average of 58%. This exceeds the target by 10 points. In addition, the Six-Year Graduation Rate for Liberal Arts Colleges is 66% -- 12 points less than Spelman’s (Table 8.1-2: Six-Year Graduation Rates). The College exceeded the graduation rates of those in the comparison group by several percentage points in 2024-25 and exceeded the 75% threshold.

Explanation of Table 8.1-2 Symbols and Terms
*Liberal Arts Colleges: Carnegie Classification, Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts and Sciences Focus.
**National Average includes all 4-year Degree-granting, primarily baccalaureate or above Institutions.
***HBCU includes all 4-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The 2025-26 Six-Year Graduation Rate (77%) for ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½’s 2019 cohort has been further disaggregated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic level. Pell eligibility, the most closely related variable, has been used to represent socioeconomic level as shown in the chart below.

State Licensing Examination
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ students pursuing teacher certification routinely take the state licensing examination, the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE). The College’s benchmark for these students is a pass rate of at least 85%, which is five (5) percentage points greater than the teacher accreditation standard. The College's Education Department maintains statistics on teacher certification pass rates, which have averaged nearly 97% since the 2012-13 academic year for students taking the GACE exam. The most recent GACE report from the 2024-25 academic year indicates a pass rate of 100% (Table 8.1-3: GACE Passing Rates). These data indicate student performance on the GACE exam far surpasses the established benchmark.

As of July 2020, the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) exam is no longer a certification requirement in Georgia, as reported in previous years.

Post-Baccalaureate Placement
The College obtains information annually on job placement as well as graduate and professional school acceptance through the First Destination Survey administered prior to graduation by the Office of Career Planning and Development (CPD). In addition, CPD re-administers the survey six months following graduation to gather additional detailed information about employment, pursuit of graduate/professional education, and other academic or leadership opportunities post-graduation. Table 8.1-4 below gives a summary of ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ graduates’ placement rates subsequent to program completion. For comparison, Table 8.1-5 provides national placement rates as reported by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Table 8.1-4: ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Placement Rates

Survey results also captured participation in other post-baccalaureate opportunities (excluding full-time employment and grad/prof school), considered successful post-graduation outcomes. In 2024, 13% of Spelman graduates reported participation in other post-baccalaureate opportunities, including military enlistment, Fulbright engagements, research, internships, and fellowships. When combined with full-time employment and grad/prof school placements, the data show that 82% of our most recent alumnae are actively engaged in post-baccalaureate opportunities. The College has established a post-baccalaureate placement threshold of at least 75% for our graduates. The post-baccalaureate placement rate for the 2024 graduates far exceeds the threshold, and we continue to strive for higher levels of achievement through various student success initiatives.

The Office of Career Planning and Development (CPD) has improved its job fair offerings, inviting more companies to attend on campus. CPD also works with our students to help improve their job interviewing skills. Graduate school recruitment events are held throughout the academic year to help students choose the right graduate school. In addition, improvements to the data collection and verification process, including gathering grad/prof school data from the National Student Clearinghouse and the First Destination Survey, have been implemented, providing a more complete reporting of graduates’ post-baccalaureate endeavors. The CDP has also employed new methods to increase the response rate and the integrity of the First Destination Survey.