HARTNELL COLLEGE STUDENT RIGHT-TO-KNOW INFORMATION
Information Disclosure:
The federal Student Right-to-Know (SRTK) and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires all institutions of higher education to disclose information about program completion and transfer rates. The information presented here provides the academic outcomes over a three year tracking period for all first-time, full-time students who were first enrolled at Hartnell College in fall 2017 with educational goals of earning a degree, earning a certificate, or transferring to a four-year institution. This cohort represents only a small proportion of all students enrolled and only for the tracking period.
Definitions:
A completer is a student who attained a certificate or degree or became transfer prepared during the three-year period from fall 2017 to spring 2020. A transfer-prepared student is a student who completed 60 transferable units with a GPA of 2.0 or better. A transfer student is a student who transferred to another post-secondary institution prior to attaining a degree, certificate or becoming transfer-prepared during a five semester period from spring 2018 to spring 2020.
Official Rates:
Hartnell College’s official SRTK completion rate for the 2019 cohort is 31.9%, compared with the statewide completion rate across all California community colleges of 34.3%. The official SRTK Hartnell transfer rate for the 2019 cohort is 4.0%, compared with the statewide transfer rate of 8.6%. Please note that SRTK rates substantially underrepresent success in preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions, as the methodology only allows each student to be counted once, even though a student can both complete a degree and transfer to a four-year institution. Students who complete a degree and also transfer are counted only in the completion category; they are not counted in the transfer category. Additionally, SRTK rates do not account for student outcomes occurring after the three year tracking period.
Trends:
Over the last four years (2015-2019 cohorts), Hartnell College has maintained a commendable average completion rate of 34.7%, notably 1.4% higher than the statewide average of 33.3%. However, the average transfer rate was 5.6%, which, while lower than the statewide average of 9.7%, reflects ongoing structural challenges rather than a shortfall in institutional performance.
From 2015 to 2019, there has been a downturn in both the completion and transfer rates at Hartnell, with a 5.3% drop in completion rates and a 33.3% reduction in transfer rates. It’s important to note that similar trends have been observed statewide, with the statewide transfer rate also decreasing by 20.9%. These shifts are largely attributed to the extensive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated a rapid shift to remote learning environments and imposed added economic burdens on students, thereby affecting their academic paths.
While these reductions are greater than desired, they closely mirror statewide trends during this tumultuous period, suggesting that the challenges faced are shared across the higher education landscape and not unique to Hartnell. This period has pushed Hartnell College to enhance its student support systems and academic infrastructure to better accommodate emerging needs and ensure that students continue to receive a robust educational experience despite external disruptions.
Table 1: Trends
Group | Metric | 2015 Cohort | 2016 Cohort | 2017 Cohort | 2018 Cohort | 2019 Cohort | Average | % Change in 2015 to 2019 Cohorts |
Hartnell | Completion Rate | 33.7% | 36.3% | 36.3% | 35.3% | 31.9% | 34.7% | -5.3% |
Transfer Rate | 6.0% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 5.6% | -33.3% | |
Statewide | Completion Rate | 31.2% | 32.4% | 33.7% | 35.8% | 34.3% | 33.3% | 9.9% |
Transfer Rate | 10.9% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 9.0% | 8.6% | 9.7% | -20.9% |
Source:
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Student Right to Know), April 19, 2020
http://srtk.cccco.edu/451/srtk20.htm (Hartnell College)
http://srtk.cccco.edu/000/srtk20.htm (California Community College System)
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Student Right to Know), May 7, 2021
http://srtk.cccco.edu/451/srtk21.htm (Hartnell College)
http://srtk.cccco.edu/000/srtk21.htm (California Community College System)
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Students Right to Know), May 15, 2023
http://srtk.cccco.edu/451/srtk22.htm (Hartnell College)
http://srtk.cccco.edu/000/srtk22.htm (Statewide)
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Students Right to Know), May 22, 2024
http://srtk.cccco.edu/451/srtk23.htm (Hartnell College)
http://srtk.cccco.edu/000/srtk23.htm (Statewide)