Success Is More Than a Graduation Rate

What does student success look like at a community college?

For some students at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, success means earning an associate degree and transferring to a four-year university. For others, it means completing a technical certificate, earning an industry credential, passing a licensure exam, or gaining the skills needed to begin a new career. And for many students, success happens one semester at a time as they balance college with work, family, and other responsibilities.

For years, traditional measures of higher education success have not always captured those different paths. Graduation rates commonly focus on first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students. While those students are an important part of UAHT, they represent only one portion of the students community colleges serve.

A new approach to measuring community college outcomes provides a more complete picture.

A Broader Way to Measure Success

The 2025 Survey of Community College Outcomes, conducted by the Richmond Federal Reserve, examined data from 189 community colleges across 10 states, including Arkansas. The study was designed to better measure the many ways community college students reach meaningful educational and career milestones.

Instead of looking primarily at students who graduate with a degree, the Richmond Fed Success Rate expands the definition of success to include students who:

• Earn workforce credentials, licenses, noncredit certificates or industry certifications;
• Transfer to a four-year institution before completing a credential at their community college; or
• Make substantial progress toward their education by persisting in college, completing at least 30 credit hours and maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA.

That broader definition matters at UA Hope-Texarkana because students come to the college with different goals.

UAHT offers pathways for students seeking university transfer, technical and workforce credentials, professional licensure, adult education, career advancement, and other opportunities. The college's strategic plan calls for students to be academically prepared for transfer, licensure, or workforce entry, and for programs to align with employers' needs.

In other words, no single path defines a successful UAHT student.

Arkansas Community Colleges Are Producing Results

When the Richmond Fed applied its broader measurement to Arkansas community colleges, the results told an encouraging story.

Arkansas recorded an overall Richmond Fed Success Rate of 53 percent, more than 12 percentage points higher than the rate produced by more traditional higher education measures. Arkansas also exceeded the 49.8 percent average among the 10 states included in the survey.

The state ranked:

• No. 3 overall among the states surveyed;
• No. 1 in short-term certificate completion; and
• No. 1 in workforce credential completion.

The study also highlighted an important difference among students. Younger students were more likely to complete associate degrees or transfer to four-year institutions, while adult students were more likely to complete short-term certificates and workforce credentials.

Those different outcomes reflect the reality of a community college education. A recent high school graduate planning to earn a bachelor's degree may measure success differently than a working parent who needs a short-term credential to qualify for a better job.

UAHT is designed to serve both.

The college offers more than 50 degree and certificate programs, including programs that prepare students for direct entry into the workforce as well as associate degrees designed for students who plan to transfer. Many career-focused programs can be completed in less than a year.

Meeting Students Where They Are

Community college students rarely fit into one category. Some attend full time, while others take only the classes they can manage around their jobs and families. Some begin college in high school or immediately after. Others return years later to finish a degree, learn a new skill, or change careers.

That is why measuring success only by whether a student earns a degree within a certain period can leave much of the story untold.

At UAHT, a student who completes a workforce credential and begins a career has succeeded. A student who earns an associate degree and transfers to a university has succeeded. A student who returns to college, makes steady progress toward a degree, and continues despite competing responsibilities is also moving toward success.

Recent results at UAHT also show progress in traditional measures. Fall 2026 fall-to-fall FTE has increased by 7.5 percent. UAHT's number of graduates has risen 17% from last year, and the number of certificates and degrees awarded has increased 13.6% from last year.

But those numbers are only part of the picture.

Student success at UA Hope-Texarkana is ultimately about helping people move from where they are to where they want to be, whether that destination is a university classroom, a nursing facility, a welding shop, a technology career, a local business, or another opportunity.

The Richmond Fed's broader approach to measuring community college outcomes reinforces something community colleges have understood for years: success does not look the same for every student.

At the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, student success means helping students find and complete the path that is right for them.

To learn more about UAHT, visit https://www.uaht.edu/index.php today.

Article adapted from Arkansas Community Colleges “Rethinking Community College Success: Arkansas’s Workforce Story” series, https://www.arkansascc.org/news.