Student Achievement

Trevecca Nazarene University’s mission is to provide education for leadership and service within the context of a Christian community. Student achievement objectives link directly to this mission, as well as the strategic plan, statement of purpose and educational goals of the University. As part of our strategic plan, Trevecca has established goals for student achievement measures through the year 2025. The following tables provide data regarding the statuses of student achievement objectives for traditional and non-traditional students (as noted) as well as the three-, five- and ten-year averages as available. University leaders have determined first-year retention rate, six-year (150%) graduation rate, licensure pass rates and placement rate to be critical measures of student success. Data from prior years is available from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (oie@trevecca.edu).

First-Year Retention Rate

Trevecca deems the first-year retention rate to be a primary measure of our students' success. Over the past five years, Trevecca has maintained a fall-to-fall first-year retention rate in the mid-70 percent range.

Six-Year Graduation Rate

Trevecca views the 6-year graduation rate is a critical measure of our students’ achievement. Over the past ten years, Trevecca has seen tremendous growth in the 6-year graduation rate, from 51% in 2015 to 54% in 2024, moving closer to our 61% goal for 2025.

Per compliance with the Guidance on 8.1 from SACSCOC, Trevecca disaggregates graduation rate data using the Traditional IPEDS Graduation Rate (150%; 6-year graduation rate) as our Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI). This data is tracked, analyzed and evaluated internally so decisions can be made to target student success initiatives to particular demographics.

Placement Rate

Beginning in 2020, Trevecca began calculating the placement rate to include traditional and non-traditional alumni who have a placement (either employment or full-time graduate school) within one year of graduation. In an effort to increase the knowledge rate, Trevecca uses both an alumni survey and LinkedIn as sources for placement data. The knowledge rate for placement data for 2022-23 graduates was 56%.

Where are Trevecca’s alumni employed and what are they doing?

Where are Trevecca’s alumni going to graduate school and what are they studying?

Licensure Pass Rates

Trevecca offers four programs that prepare students for careers requiring licensure tests. Trevecca’s licensure pass rates for the clinical mental health counseling program (M.A.), the nursing program (BSN; combined with Belmont University’s results 2022-24), the teacher education programs (B.S.) and the graduate physician assistant program (MSM) are listed in the following table. With the exception of the edTPA, all licensure pass rates are reported as a first-time pass rate. As the Tennessee Department of Education requires first- and second-attempt pass rates to be reported, that is how the Education Department at Trevecca reports edTPA pass rates for student achievement. 

Trevecca's administration felt it was important and necessary to track licensure pass rates as part of a student achievement outcome, but that the program faculty and leadership should be the drivers of setting criteria for success. Thus, the respective programs set the thresholds, goals and aspirational goals for licensure pass rates, as the program leadership and faculty would best know what was appropriate and would comply with minimum testing requirements. 

Trevecca students and alumni typically do very well on licensure tests, often passing at rates above state or national averages, depending on the exam. In recent years, the physician assistant program has passed at very high rates, including a 100 percent pass rate since 2021.    

*The most recent pass rate available for the NCLEX exam is 2023.

**Per the Board of Nursing, Trevecca’s pass rates for 2022-2024 are included as a part of Belmont University’s overall pass rate, which includes Belmont and all of its affiliate institutions.

Data sources: Retention and Graduation Rate data are provided from the Office of Institutional Research, as reported to IPEDS. Job Placement and Graduate School Enrollment data are provided from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, as sourced by the annual Trevecca Alumni Survey, LinkedIn profiles, and National Student Clearinghouse data. Licensure Pass Rates data are provided by the respective academic departments.

Thresholds

As deemed appropriate and consistent by its administration, Trevecca uses the lowest point in the last five years as our threshold of any given metric, except (1) licensure pass rates (which are set by the respective programs/departments); (2) retention rate; and (3) non-white male graduation rates. Apart from these exceptions, thresholds change annually with new data.

Goals and Aspirational Goals

Trevecca’s goals to reach by 2025 are determined by percentile placement as evaluated against our comparison institutions. A 2-percentile increase was determined to be a reasonable goal for 2025. An aspirational goal is to increase 3 percentiles. For licensure pass rates, goals and aspirational goals are set by the respective programs.