Undergraduate Course D, F, Drop Rates
| This Page Last Updated |
|---|
| 10/28/2025 |
| Description |
|
This workbook shows course D/F/drop rates over time and for several demographic categories. It also shows the components of the D/F/drop rate (% of D/F/drops that are Ds, Fs, or drops) and courses where rates of D/F/drops are inequitable by demographic category. |
| Report URL |
| https://tableau.wisconsin.edu/#/views/UndergraduateCourseDFDropRates_0/HomePage?:iid=2 |
| Data Cookbook URL (requires authorization) |
| https://uwmadison.datacookbook.com/institution/reports/31005/versions/78063 |
| Data Domain(s) |
| Academic Planning, Student Record |
| Access Restrictions |
| UW-Madison Employees (NetID Required) |
| Data Source Information |
| InfoAccess |
| Data View Information |
| RETENTION_COURSE_HISTORY, RETENTION_STUDENT, RETENTION_DROP_HISTORY, UNDERGRADUATE_RECRUITMENT_CATEGORY, STDNT_ETHNIC_REPORTING, COURSE_CURRENT, COURSE_OFFERING |
| Update Schedule |
| Data are refreshed monthly, at the end of the month. |
| Responsible Office |
| Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research |
| Important Notes |
|
Visualization-specific notes on F Grade: For the purposes of this visualization, grades of U or UD ('Unsatisfactory' in a course taken for pass/fail credit), N ('No credit' in a course taken on a credit/no credit basis), and NW ('No Work') count as Fs in the calculation of the D/F/Drop rate. See https://registrar.wisc.edu/grades-and-gpa/ for information about grades and grading policy. |
Definitions
| Name | Functional Definition | Data Domains |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year (Su,Fa,Sp) | An academic year consists of sequential summer, fall, and spring terms. For example, the 2021-22 academic years includes summer 2021, fall 2021, and spring 2022. |
Academic Planning |
| Catalog Number | A code associated with a course in the course catalog. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Course D/F/Drop Rate | The number of students whose final course grade/outcome was a D, F, or drop divided by the total course enrollment on the term census date. | Student Record |
| Course Drop | When a student un-enrolls in a course in which they had previously enrolled. | Student Record |
| Course ID | A 6-digit unique ID assigned to a specific course. All course members of a crosslisted course will have the same Course ID. |
Academic Planning |
| Course Title | The official name of the course. |
Academic Planning |
| D Grade | A grade of D is considered "poor" and counts as 1 grade point per credit on a 4.0 grading scale. |
Student Record |
| D/F/Drop Rate | When D/F/Drop rates are aggregate at any other level than a course (for example, by demographic group, curricular subject, school/college) the D/F/Drop rate is the number of D grades, F grades, or course drops divided by the total enrollment. |
Student Record |
| F Grade | A grade of F is considered "failure" and counts as 0 grade points per credit on a 4.0 grading scale. |
Student Record |
| First Generation Status (Undergraduate) | An undergraduate is considered a first generation student if they reported on their application for admission that neither of their parents had earned a four-year college degree. All others, including those who did not respond to the question are considered non-first generation. |
Student Record |
| Grade | The grade the student received in the course. | Academic Planning, Student Record |
| Male/Female | A binary "Male" or "Female" gender, based on what the individual has reported to the University. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Subject | A grouping of courses, approved by faculty governance, within related academic areas. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Undergraduate Student | An enrolled student who is pursuing a degree program that leads to a bachelor's degree. | Student Record |
| Underrepresented Student of Color | A domestic (non-international) student who identifies, alone or in combination with other racial/ethnic categories, as African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino(a), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or one or more of the following Asian subcategories (Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, or Vietnamese). |
Student Record |