Student Achievement
Compliance Preview
When evaluating success with respect to student achievement in relation to the institution’s mission, McMurry University includes retention data, graduation data, job placement data, data on continued education, and state licensing examinations.
The data below demonstrates that students who persist at McMurry achieve at a high rate in completing courses and on certification exams. Students are also successful in gaining employment and pursuing ongoing educational endeavors.
Retention by Semester
The acceptable threshold for retention rates at McMurry University is also determined by a comparison with our peer institutions as reported in IPEDS data. The data reported for 2017 indicates that the average retention rate at the comparison schools of 71%.
The University underwent a strategic planning process in 2013-2014; the plan that emerged from that process included a number of metrics of success including a goal for a retention rate of 62% by 2019 and 72% in time for the University’s centennial in 2023. Success in achieving this goal will more closely align McMurry with national trends.
Concerned with the retention rate, McMurry University partnered with the John Gardner Institute through their Foundations of Excellence program in fall 2014 to conduct a systematic review of institutional practices affecting retention. Following this extensive process, McMurry University appointed Dr. Cindy Martin, Professor of Mathematics at McMurry as the Director of the First Year Experience. Under her leadership, McMurry implemented a First Year Seminar Program in the Fall of 2016. That year, McMurry’s fall to spring retention of first year students improved by ten percentage points over the previous year. Dr. Martin has also implemented a supplemental instruction program, an early alert program, and has improved the advising and orientation process. In the spring of 2018, McMurry was selected to participate in the John N. Gardner Gateways to Completion program, a three-year process that will focus on transforming key “gateway” courses to improve student success and retention.
In the fall of 2017, McMurry University conducted a study of McMurry first-time full-time student cohorts from 2006-2013. The study demonstrated that students who achieve a GPA of 2.5 or above in their first year at McMurry are 2.7 times more likely to retain to the sophomore year and 3.7 times more likely to graduate than those who do not reach a GPA of 2.5. These analyses have already been central in informing a shift in financial aid structuring for students to improve the financial support of students coming to McMurry and to reward students who perform well in their courses.
Table 1: Retention by Semester
Fall Semester Cohorts
First-time, Full-time Freshman
Fall 2007 to Spring 2018
| Entry | Entering | 2nd Sem | 3rd Sem | 4th Sem | 5th Sem | 6th Sem | 7th Sem | 8th Sem | Graduates |
| Sem | Class | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) | % (#) |
| F07 | 311 | 82 (256) | 57 (177) | 49 (153) | 43 (134) | 42 (131) | 40 (124) | 35 (108) | 39 (122) |
| F08 | 332 | 82 (271) | 55 (183) | 50 (167) | 45 (149) | 43 (142) | 39 (131) | 35 (116) | 37 (122) |
| F09 | 320 | 80 (255) | 53 (171) | 48 (153) | 42 (133) | 39 (126) | 37 (117) | 33 (105) | 36 (115) |
| F10 | 280 | 85 (237) | 61 (170) | 53 (147) | 44 (124) | 43 (119) | 37 (104) | 33 ( 92) | 37 (103) |
| F11 | 330 | 84 (278) | 60 (199) | 53 (174) | 46 (152) | 45 (148) | 36 (119) | 31 (101) | 37 (121) |
| F12 | 303 | 84 (256) | 59 (179) | 54 (163) | 39 (119) | 37 (112) | 34 (109) | 31 ( 94) | 32 ( 98) |
| F13 | 249 | 82 (204) | 52 (130) | 47 (118) | 43 (107) | 40 ( 99) | 34 ( 85) | 30 ( 74) | 29 ( 73) |
| F14 | 207 | 86 (178) | 63 (130) | 57 (117) | 45 ( 93) | 43 ( 90) | 40 ( 82) | 34 ( 71) | 5 ( 10) |
| F15 | 297 | 72 (213) | 52 (156) | 47 (140) | 39 (117) | 36 (106) | .3 ( 1) | ||
| F16 | 284 | 84 (239) | 62 (177) | 57 (161) | |||||
| F17 | 246 | 85 (208) | |||||||
| Revised 1/26/2018 - McMurry Office of Institutional Research | |||||||||
Fall Freshman Cohort Graduation Rate
The acceptable threshold for graduation rates at McMurry University is determined by a comparison with our peer institutions as reported in IPEDS data. The data reported for 2017 indicates that the average graduation rate of the comparison schools 48%. McMurry’s graduation rate for each of the 2008, 2010, and 2011 cohorts was 36%. The University underwent a strategic planning process in 2013-2014; the plan that emerged from that process included a number of metrics of success including a goal for a graduation rate of 40% by 2019 and 44% by 2023. Success in achieving this goal will more closely align McMurry with our peer comparison group.
Table 2: Fall Freshmen Cohort Graduation Rates
First-time, Full-time Freshman
Through August 2017 Graduation
| Number of graduates from the cohort graduated during the: | 6th Year Total |
Total Grads |
|||||||
| Cohort | Cohort # |
3rd year |
4rd year |
5rd year |
6rd year |
7rd year |
8rd year |
# (%) | # (%) |
| 2004 | 280 | 7 | 69 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 107 (38) | 109 (39) |
| 2005 | 290 | 9 | 68 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 105 (36) | 109 (38) |
| 2006 | 305 | 7 | 63 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 114 (37) | 118 (39) |
| 2007 | 311 | 5 | 72 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 118 (38) | 122 (39) |
| 2008 | 332 | 5 | 71 | 34 | 10 | >1 | 1 | 120 (36) | 122 (37) |
| 2009 | 320 | 8 | 76 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 113 (35) | 115 (36) |
| 2010 | 280 | 8 | 71 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 101 (36) | 103 (37) | |
| 2011 | 330 | 14 | 77 | 24 | 5 | 120 (36) | 120 (36) | ||
| 2012 | 303 | 5 | 73 | 19 | 97 (32) | ||||
| 2013 | 249 | 11 | 59 | 70 (28) | |||||
| 2014 | 207 | 5 | 5 ( 2) | ||||||
| 2015 | 297 | 1 | 1 (.3) | ||||||
Course Completion
McMurry University examined the rate at which students’ efforts contribute toward attaining their degree as a measure of undergraduate student achievement. As an indicator of productivity, McMurry opted to look at the rate with which students completed their courses and found that students successfully completed their courses over 87% of the time.
Table 3: Course Completion Rate indicates that for the past three years the completion rate for McMurry students has held steadily at approximately 89%.
Table 3: Course Completion Rate
| Semester | # Grades Awarded |
# Non-completion Grades |
Sum of Noncompletion Grades |
Completion Rate |
Noncompletion Rate |
||||
| F | W | WP | WF | I | |||||
| Fall 2015 | 5169 | 286 | 162 | 161 | 37 | * | 646 | 87.50% | 12.50% |
| Spring 2016 | 4270 | 265 | 102 | 136 | 51 | * | 554 | 87.03% | 12.97% |
| Fall 2016 | 5205 | 243 | 90 | 85 | 14 | * | 432 | 91.70% | 8.30% |
| Spring 2017 | 4606 | 274 | 115 | 72 | 21 | * | 482 | 89.54% | 10.46% |
| Fall 2017 | 5414 | 297 | 119 | 78 | 15 | 1 | 510 | 90.58% | 9.42% |
| Spring 2018 | 4888 | 302 | 137 | 81 | 27 | 17 | 564 | 88.46% | 11.54% |
| 3-year Totals | 29552 | 1667 | 725 | 613 | 165 | 18 | 3188 | 89.14% | 10.87% |
| * All incomplete grades have been converted to a grade by the time this report was completed. | |||||||||
Success Dynamics
McMurry University has a very diverse, financially fragile student population (over 50% Pell eligible). While this population often benefits from a small, personal environment, their finances often lead to a stop out or transfer out situation. Thus, McMurry has adopted the National Student Clearinghouse Total Completion Rate (NSCTCR) as its completion indicator.
Table 4: Success Dynamics provided below presents an overview of the various initiatives taken or recently implemented by McMurry University to address the NSCTCR and retention concerns of the institution.
Table 4: Student Success Dynamics
| Dynamic | Description |
| John Gardner Institute Foundations of Excellence | Led to the creation of a First Year Seminar program, supplemental instruction in select high failure rate classes, an early alert system for at risk students, and changes to the advising and summer registration processes. |
| John Gardner Institution Gateways to Completion Program | Participation in this program will improve student success in key “gateway” courses. McMurry has just begun its participation in the Gateways to Completion process and has identified six courses that will be the focus of a three-year process of improvement. |
| English for Academic Purposes | This program is designed to provide opportunities for McMurry’s international students to improve their reading and writing skill prior to matriculation into the undergraduate program. |
| Department Heads Professional Development | In the summer of 2018, nine department heads attended the Council of Independent Colleges workshops for department heads. In these workshops they were able to learn more about the role of the department head in promoting student success. |
| Supplemental Instruction | Upper class students provide supplemental instruction for course with high failure rates. They attend the class along with the other students and then provide further instruction at alternate times. Attendance in supplemental instruction is now required in several courses. |
| Virtual Campus | The development of a virtual campus is designed for student success with adult learners. McMurry has two fully online programs : Business and Criminal Justice |
| Academic Enrichment Center | This center provides tutoring opportunities for student and other academic support services. |
| Developmental Studies Program | The courses in this program are designed to provide students with the remediation needed to support student success in future coursework. |
| Retention Study |
As cited previously in this section, McMurry conducted a study regarding student retention that led to reforms in the awarding of student aid. |
| Modular College Algebra | The course meets every day of the week (for an eight-week term) and is highly successful in improving the mathematical skills of students. |
| Integrated Reading and Writing | This co-requisite approach to teaching introductory English has been highly successful. Students enroll in the “credit bearing” English course while also attending a developmental writing lab. |
Teacher Certification
The State of Texas has changed several certification exams, making them more rigorous. The State has also made changes to required pass rates.
McMurry University’s overall pass rate for the past five years is 90%, well above the State’s expectation.
The score table below reflects TExES certification exams taken by McMurry students seeking Texas Standard Teacher Certificates through McMurry’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Because students major in the specific content area and minor in pedagogy, the following table reflects directly on the discipline-related academic programs at McMurry.
Table 4: Certification Exam Results
| Area | Year | # Tests Attempted |
# Tests Passed |
Success Rate |
| McMurry Totals for Years Reported | 2013- 2017 |
543 | 370 | 90.27% |
| Art | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| Business | 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| English Language Arts & Reading (Grades 7-12) | 2013 | 4 | 4 | 100.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 100.0% | |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | |
| English as a Second Language Supplemental | 2013 | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | 7 | 87.7% | |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| Core Subjects EC-6 and Generalist (Grades EC-6) | 2013 | 25 | 21 | 84% |
| 2014 | 18 | 16 | 88.9% | |
| 2015 | 18 | 16 | 88.9% | |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| 2017 | 5 | 2 | 40.0% | |
| History (Grades 8-12) | 2014 | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| History (Grades 7-12) | 2016 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| 2017 | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | |
| Math (Grades 4-8) | 2013 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| Math (Grades 7-12) | 2013 | 4 | 4 | 100.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | |
| Music | 2013 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 100.0% | |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | |
| Physical Education | 2013 | 7 | 7 | 100.0% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | |
| Science (Grades 4-8) | 2014 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Science (Grades 7-12) | 2015 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Life Science | 2013 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Physical Science | 2013 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Social Studies (Grades 4-8) | 2014 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| Technology Applications | 2014 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| Theater | 2016 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities | 2013 | 51 | 51 | 100.0% |
| 2014 | 44 | 41 | 97.6% | |
| 2015 | 41 | 40 | 98.5% | |
| 2016 | 36 | 34 | 94.4% | |
| 2017 | 44 | 41 | 92.3% |
Nursing Certification
The threshold for success on the NCLEX-RN certification exam is established by the Texas Administrative Code- first-time test-takers must pass with a rate of 80% on the NCLEX-RN certification exam. For the three years prior to the 2017-2018 academic year, McMurry students in the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing (PHSSN) failed to make the 80% threshold and in the fall of 2016 the school was placed on “conditional” status, meaning that a new class could not be accepted into the school. The University responded by appointing a new dean and creating an action plan for improvement following a review in the fall of 2016 by the Texas Board of Nursing. The result was a pass rate of 92% for the class graduating in the spring of 2017. The School was returned to full approval in the Fall of 2017 [6].
An appropriate threshold of success for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification exam is suggested by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) in their 2014 Annual Report [7]. In 2014, the AANP reported that the national initial-exam pass rate was 87.5%. The pass rate for Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing students completing the Family Nurse Practitioner exam averages 95.2% during the past five years and has not fallen below 90% in that span.
Table 5: Nursing Certification Pass Rates
| Track | Year | # Students Taking NCLEXRN for First Time |
NCLEX-RN Pass Rate for First Time Test Takers |
NCLEX-RN Pass Rate for All Test Takers |
| BSN | 2010 | 136/161 | 84.47% | |
| BSN | 2011 | 104/148 | 70.27% | 83.11% |
| BSN | 2012 | 68/83 | 81.93% | 91.57% |
| BSN | 2013 | 47/56 | 83.93% | 94.64% |
| BSN | 2014 | 58/84 | 69.05% | 99.00% |
| BSN | 2015 | 42/56 | 75.00% | 89.00% |
| BSN | 2016 | 27/35 | 77.14% | 91.00% |
| BSN | 2017 | 23/25 | 92.00% | 100.00% |
Table 6: Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Pass Rates
| Year | Certification Organization |
Certification Exam (by population focus area |
Number of Students Passing Exam |
Certification Pass Rate** |
| 2013 | AANP | Family Nurse Practitioner | 9/10 | 90% |
| 2014 | AANP | Family Nurse Practitioner | 5/5 | 100% |
| 2015 | AANP | Family Nurse Practitioner | 6/6 | 100% |
| 2016 | AANP | Family Nurse Practitioner | 7/8 | 87.5% |
| 2017 | AANP | Family Nurse Practitioner | 7/8 | 87.5% |
| * American Academy of Nurse Practitioners | ||||
| 91.89% 5-year pass rate (2013-2017) | ||||
Job Placement Rates
McMurry University recognizes its reported rate of 81.6% for job placement and continuing education as an acceptable indicator of achievement for graduating students.
McMurry University collects statistics on job placement rates using a Graduate Survey, which is compiled by the Office of Career Services. Table 6 provides data from the Graduate Survey indicating that, over the past five-year period, 58.4% of respondents are employed full-time and an additional 23.2% are enrolled full-time in other academic programs.
In 2018 McMurry University was ranked number one in the state of Texas for graduate employment 10 years after graduation by Zippia, an online job placement service.
Table 7: Graduate Survey
| Employment Survey | Ongoing Education | |||||||
| Year* | # Responses |
Full-time Employed |
Part-time Employed |
Internship | Full-time Employment Rate |
Full-time | Part-time | Ongoing Education Rate |
| Five-year Totals | 457 | 267 | 46 | 5 | 58.4% | 106 | 7 | 23.2% |
| August 2017 | 92 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 56.5% | 32 | 0 | 34.8% |
| August 2016 | 80 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 65.0% | 16 | 0 | 20.0% |
| August 2015 | 128 | 75 | 6 | 0 | 58.6% | 25 | 0 | 19.5% |
| August 2014 | 73 | 41 | 11 | 4 | 56.2% | 15 | 4 | 20.5% |
| August 2013 | 84 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 55.9% | 18 | 3 | 21.4% |