Undergraduate Time-to-Degree and Peer Comparison Data
| Last Updated |
|---|
| 01/28/2025 |
| Description |
|
Includes time-to-degree, measured in elapsed calendar years, for bachelors degree recipients by major and by several demographic categories. Time-to-degree for similar majors at public peer institutions is also provided. |
| Report URL |
| https://tableau.wisconsin.edu/#/views/UndergraduateTime-to-DegreeandPeerComparisonData_0/HomePage |
| Data Cookbook URL (requires authorization) |
| https://uwmadison.datacookbook.com/institution/reports/32014/versions/76317 |
| Data Domain(s) |
| Student Record |
| Access Restrictions |
| UW-Madison Employees (NetID Required) |
| Data Source Information |
| InfoAccess |
| Data View Information |
| Retention Awards Main, Retention Awards Plan, Retention Semester History, Student Ethnic Reporting |
| Update Schedule |
| Data will be updated annually, sometime after October 1st when the previous year's degrees are finalized. |
| Responsible Office |
| Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research |
| Important Notes |
|
Reporting of time-to-degree follows conventions established by UW-Madison and its peers. Time-to-degree is reported for bachelors degree recipients who 1) started at UW-Madison as new freshmen, 2) enrolled full time in their first semester, and 3) graduated within 20 years. When students earn multiple degrees, time-to-degree is only counted for their first bachelor's degree. Time-to-degree is measured in elapsed calendar years - the time from the start date of the student's first term at UW-Madison to the degree conferral date of the student's bachelor's degree. Elapsed calendar years continue to accrue, regardless of a student's enrollment status. On-time graduation for a four-year degree based on this metric is 3.72 years. Time-to-degree for students who graduated with multiple majors is included in the average for each major. The overall time-to-degree calculation counts each graduate only once. Peer comparisons are based on the federal Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes, a standard taxonomy for classifying instructional programs. Every degree major at every U.S university is assigned a CIP code based on its curriculum. These codes can then be used as a basis for comparability across institutions. CIP codes are better indicators of curricular similarity than relying on the names of majors which may differ between institutions. For example, the Zoology major at UW-Madison may be called Animal Biology at another institution. |
Definitions
| Name | Functional Definition | Data Domains |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Level | Indicates whether a student is an undergraduate, graduate or professional, or special student. For undergraduates, students are freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior based on accumulated credits, not the duration of time at the University. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| 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 |
| Degree Level of Major | Indicates, for degree-seeking students, whether the student's course of study leads to a bachelor's degree, master's degree, research doctorate, or clinical doctorate. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Department of Major | The department that has ownership of the major, or pre-major. In cases where no major is declared, "School/College of Student" is displayed. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Legal Sex | A person's biological or reassigned sex as printed on legal documents. Categories include Female (F), Male (M), Another Legal Sex (X), undisclosed (U). Definition provided by the Data Guidelines for Legal Sex and Gender, endorsed by the Data Governance Council Feb 20, 2024 and published at https://uwmadison.box.com/s/8m8ibkv81kxbmkl5ijafbpkm2onicnms |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| School/College of Major | Indicates the school/college that has ownership of the major. |
Academic Planning, Student Record |
| School/College of Student | The student's primary school/college. Some students have a second major or pursue a certificate in another school/college. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| 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, Asian, Hispanic/Latino(a), or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. |
Admissions, Student Record |
| Tuition Residency | The residency status of a student for tuition purposes. Some non-resident students from Minnesota ("Minnesota Compact" students) pay tuition based on a legal agreement between the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. |
University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| 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 |