Retention (Fall to Fall)

Many students need to enroll at the college for one year or more to complete their PCC credential, prepare for transfer, or achieve other educational goals. The following retention rates represent the percentage of first-time college students from a fall term who re-enrolled the following fall term.

Enrollment Period F19-F20 F20-F21 F21-F22 F22-F23 F23-F24
Fall to Fall Retention 46.7% 46.0% 45.4% 50.4% 52.2%
  • The fall to fall retention of first time in college students ranges from 45.4% (F21-F22) to 52.2% (F23-F24).
  • Fall 2023 to Fall 2024 retention is higher than the prior four retention periods.

Equity Gaps

Equity gap refers to any disparity in a metric like graduation rate or term-to-term persistence along racial, socioeconomic, gender, or other demographic characteristic. These gaps lead the college to ask “what processes, policies or practices are in place that create or exacerbate these disparities?”

F23 to F24 Rates by Range (low to high) Equity Gap
Sex 51.7% to 52.2% (Male to Female) <1% point
Pell Status 52.0% to 52.3% (Awarded Pell to No Pell) no gap
Race/Ethnicity 36.2% (Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander), 41.7%? (Black, African American) to 60.0% (Asian) 23.8% and 19.3% points
Age 38.6% to 60.3% (Age 20-24 to Under 20 years) 21.7% points
*First-Generation 49.7% to 54.7% (1st Gen to Not 1st Gen) 5% points
  • Students under 20 years of age are retained at the highest rate while students age 20 to 24 are retained at the lowest rate.
  • The equity gap between first-generation and non-first-generation students widened due to higher retention rates among non-first-generation students.
  • Fewer Black or African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students re-enrolled in the fall, contributing to a widening race/ethnicity equity gap.
Race/ethnicity F23-F24 5-Year Range (low to high)
American Indian/Alaska Native, n=40 46.3% 26.9% (F21F22)? to? 52.4% (F22F23)
Asian, n=344 60.0% 53.3% (F21F22)? to? 60.0% (F23F24)
Black or African American, n=279 41.7% 41.7% (F23F24)? to? 49.4% (F22F23)
Hispanic or Latino, n=1,281 51.75% 46.9% (F21F22)? to? 52.6% (F22F23)
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, n=47 36.2% 36.2% (F23F24)? to? 58.8% (F21F22)
Two or more races, n=351 52.0% 44.3% (F20F21)? to? 52.0% (F23F24)
Not Reported, n=276 56.5% 42.8% (F21F22)? to? 56.5% (F23F24)
White, n=2,360 52.0% 43.5% (F21F22)? to? 52.0% (F23F24

*First generation students are from families where neither parent nor guardian have completed a four-year degree.

Data Source: Argos, YESS, Retention

updated 10/27/24