Student Achievement

Millsaps College is committed to ensuring student success and utilizes a variety of criteria to measure student achievement and program quality, and it adheres to the SACSCOC requirement to set goals related to student achievement, monitoring outcomes, and publishing results. Millsaps monitors, evaluates, and commits to improving the following three student achievement outcomes: retention, graduation, and satisfactory academic progress.

Throughout our admissions process, we work hard to understand a prospective student’s academic performance to gauge their ability to perform well within the academic program at Millsaps.  To assist students during their tenure at Millsaps, we provide deliberate and consistent academic support and advising services, including an early identification and response system for those who might be struggling in the classroom.

Additionally, while realizing that the academic experience is a primary driver, we understand that it is important for students to thrive both in and outside the classroom. To that end, the College has a variety of programming for the student life experience outside of the classroom. A student who performs well inside the classroom and has an enjoyable experience outside of the classroom is most likely to continue their academic pursuits. We encourage participation in extracurricular activities to build connections and support across campus. Systematically, we conduct surveys to garner levels of student satisfaction and identify improvements that can be made to enhance this area of student life.

Below provides a snapshot of the students retained from Fall to Fall semester.

*IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
~Millsaps Office of Records

The federal government requires institutions of higher education to report their graduation rates as another metric of student achievement. The below table captures the percentage of a first-year class, or cohort, who started at Millsaps as first-time first-year students and who remained with Millsaps and received their degree within a 4, 6, or 8-year time frame. Our goal is that 70% of our undergraduate students graduate within 6-years. This data can also be found in our IPEDS Data Feedback Reports.

Whereas retention rates provide an opportunity to monitor persistence and graduation rates provide an opportunity to monitor successful completion, satisfactory academic progress (SAP) provides an opportunity to quantifiably monitor the quality of the student’s progression towards a degree. Academic standing is measured using a combination of grade point average (GPA) and credits earned. Standings include President’s List, Dean’s List, Good Standing, Academic Probation, and Academic Suspension. For more information, see our College Catalog. Below is the percent of students on each standing at the end of several term periods.