Institutional Research and Assessment

Accreditation

Spring Hill College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate and master's degrees. Spring Hill College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Spring Hill College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

The College's Education programs are accredited by the Alabama State Department of Education. Last review: April 2021. P-12 Visual Arts is approved through June 2022; all other programs are approved through June 2024.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Spring Hill College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Student Outcomes and Achievement Data

In keeping with our institutional mission, Spring Hill College strives to prepare responsible leaders in service to others. in order to accomplish this mission, our educational programming focuses on the following intellectual and practical outcomes: critical thinking; reading; effective communication; quantitative literacy; moral development; social awareness through cultural diversity; understanding human nature; and integration of knowledge. These outcomes are pursued within each of Spring Hill College's undergraduate and graduate programs.

Goals

The College has identified the following minimum criteria for success in persistence and retention:

90% of first-time, first-year Fall enrollees will persist from the Fall of their first academic year to the Spring of their first academic year; and
75% of first-time, first-year Fall enrollees will persist from the Fall of their first academic year to the Fall of their second academic year.

The College also identified the following goals for improvement:

92% of first-time, first-year Fall enrollees will persist from the Fall of their first academic year to the Spring of their first academic year; and
80% of first-time, first-year Fall enrollees will persist from the Fall of their first academic year to the Fall of their second academic year.

The College has identified the following minimum criteria for success in completion:

60% of first-time, first-year students will complete the Bachelor's degrees within six years (150% of normal time) and
50% of first-time, first-year students will complete their Bachelor's degrees within four years (100% of normal time).

The College also identified the following goals for improvement:

70% of first-time, first-year students will complete the Bachelor's degrees within six years (150% of normal time) and
60% of first-time, first-year students will complete their Bachelor's degrees within four years (100% of normal time).

The College has identified the following minimum criteria for career-outcomes success in graduating seniors: 90% of graduating seniors will, by Commencement, have achieved, or strongly expect to achieve, employment, graduate study, or full-time volunteer service.

The College has identified the following minimum criteria for success in alumni experiences: 40% of senior undergraduates will, by the year following graduation, have full-time employment, graduate study, or full-time volunteer service.

Results

General student-achievement data are published on a regular cycle. Results of our student-achievement efforts include the following:

- Completions:
  - For the Fall 2020 full-time, first-time, undergraduate cohort, 48% completed within four years.
  - For the Fall 2019 cohort, 52% completed their degrees within four years.
  - For the Fall 2018 cohort, 52% completed their degrees within six years and 45% completed within four years.
  - For the Fall 2017 cohort, 56% completed their degrees within six years and 48% completed within four years.
  - For the Fall 2016 cohort, 62% completed their degrees within six years and 55% completed within four years.
- Retention and persistence:
  - The average Fall-to-Fall retention rate for first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduates over the 2019–2023 cohorts is 80%.
  - The average Fall-to-Spring persistence rate is 86% for the same incoming cohorts. From Fall 2020 to Fall 2024, the average rate is 88%.
  - The Fall-to-Spring persistence rate for the Fall 2024 cohort to Spring 2025 is 91%.
  - The Fall-to-Fall retention rate for full-time, first-time students from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024 is 70%. The Fall 2023 cohort persisted to Spring 2024 at 88%.
  - The Fall-to-Fall retention rate for full-time, first-time students from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023 is 66%. The Fall 2022 cohort persisted to Spring 2023 at 90%.
  - The Fall-to-Fall retention rate for full-time, first-time students from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022 is 81%. The Fall 2021 cohort persisted to Spring 2022 at 91%.
  - The Fall-to-Fall retention rate for full-time, first-time students from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021 is 90%. The Fall 2020 cohort persisted to Spring 2022 at 78%.
  - The Fall-to-Fall retention rate for full-time, first-time students from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 is 93%. The Fall 2020 cohort persisted to Spring 2021 at 81%.
- Of alumni graduating after 2011, over 97% report being employed, attending graduate or professional school, or being retired (2022 data, n=101). Of alumni graduating after 2016, 100% report being employed, attending graduate or professional school, or being retired (2022 data, n=49).
- Specific classes have also reported the following successful career-outcomes rate ("successful" means either employment or graduate or professional school; estimates are based on self-reporting, social and professional media and websites, and reports from faculty mentors):
  - The Class of 2021's career outcomes were measured at an 88% knowledge rate, and the students achieved a successful career-outcomes rate of 82%.
  - The Class of 2022's career outcomes were measured at a 98% knowledge rate, and the students achieved a successful career-outcomes rate of 96%.
  - The Class of 2023's career outcomes were measured at a 96% knowledge rate, and the students achieved a successful career-outcomes rate of 87%.
  - The Class of 2024's career outcomes were measureda at a 90% knowledge rate, and the students achieved a successful career-outcomes rate of 88%.

For additional detail on Spring Hill College student achievement outcomes, please feel free to peruse the individual reports available in our Assessment and Institutional Research links, or email ir@shc.edu with requests.