PRINTER'S NO. 981
No. 846 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY HERMAN, BROWNE, CREIGHTON, FLEAGLE, R. MILLER,
BISHOP, ARGALL, BARRAR, DALEY, DeLUCA, DeWEESE, FREEMAN,
GEIST, GERGELY, GINGRICH, HALUSKA, HENNESSEY, HORSEY, JAMES,
LEWIS, MELIO, RAYMOND, REICHLEY, SATHER, SEMMEL, SOLOBAY,
STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE, TURZAI, WASHINGTON AND
YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 11, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 11, 2003
AN ACT
1 Requiring institutions of higher education to report graduation
2 statistics; conferring powers and imposing duties on the
3 Department of Education; and imposing penalties.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Higher
8 Education Graduation Statistics Reporting Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
14 Agency.
15 "Cohort." A group of full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking
16 students who enter an institution during the fall term of a
1 given year.
2 "Department." The Department of Education of the
3 Commonwealth.
4 "Graduation rate." The quotient, expressed as a percentage,
5 obtained by dividing the total number of students who completed
6 their degree within the normal time to completion by the sum of
7 the total number of students who were seeking a bachelor's or
8 equivalent degree upon entry and were expected to graduate
9 within the normal time to completion minus the total number of
10 students who:
11 (1) Transferred to other degree-granting institutions.
12 (2) Left school to serve with a foreign aid service of
13 the Federal Government.
14 (3) Became deceased or disabled.
15 (4) Left school to serve on an official church mission.
16 (5) Left school to serve in the armed forces of the
17 United States.
18 "Institution." Any college or university authorized to grant
19 baccalaureate degrees in this Commonwealth which receives a
20 direct State appropriation or an indirect appropriation through
21 the Department of Education or the Pennsylvania Higher Education
22 Assistance Agency.
23 "Normal time to completion." The amount of time necessary
24 for a full-time student to complete all the requirements for a
25 baccalaureate degree according to the institution's catalog.
26 "Pennsylvania resident graduation rate." The quotient,
27 expressed as a percentage, obtained by dividing the number of
28 resident students who complete their degree within the normal
29 time to completion by the sum of the number of resident students
30 who were seeking a bachelor's or equivalent degree upon entry
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1 and were expected to graduate within the normal time to
2 completion minus the number of resident students who:
3 (1) Transferred to other degree-granting institutions.
4 (2) Left school to serve with a foreign aid service of
5 the Federal Government.
6 (3) Became deceased or disabled.
7 (4) Left school to serve on an official church mission.
8 (5) Left school to serve in the armed forces of the
9 United States.
10 "Resident student." A student whose permanent address at the
11 time of application to an institution is within this
12 Commonwealth.
13 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
14 Section 3. Reporting requirements.
15 (a) General rule.--On an annual basis, no later than August
16 31, institutions shall report the following information to the
17 department:
18 (1) The total number of students and resident students
19 who will graduate within the normal time to completion.
20 (2) The total number of students and resident students
21 who were seeking a bachelor's or equivalent degree upon entry
22 and were expected to graduate within the normal time to
23 completion.
24 (3) The total number of students and resident students
25 who entered as freshmen and transferred to other degree-
26 granting institutions.
27 (4) The total number of students and resident students
28 who left school to serve with a foreign aid service of the
29 Federal Government.
30 (5) The total number of students and resident students
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1 who became deceased or disabled.
2 (6) The total number of students and resident students
3 who left school to serve on an official church mission.
4 (7) The total number of students and resident students
5 who left school to serve in the armed forces of the United
6 States.
7 (8) The total number of students and resident students
8 who graduated up to one year beyond the normal time to
9 completion.
10 (9) The total number of students and resident students
11 who graduated from one to two years beyond the normal time to
12 completion.
13 (10) The total number of students and resident students
14 who graduated from two to three years beyond the normal time
15 to completion.
16 (b) Basis of information.--The information reported must be
17 based on the cohort of students whose normal time to completion
18 would result after the conclusion of an institution's spring
19 term.
20 Section 4. Penalties for failure to report.
21 The secretary may withhold appropriations to any institution
22 that fails to comply with the reporting provisions contained in
23 section 3 and direct the agency to withhold funds. The agency
24 shall be bound by the secretary's determination.
25 Section 5. Duties of department.
26 On an annual basis, no later than May 31, the department
27 shall establish a form for institutions to report the
28 information required under section 3 and forward the form to the
29 institutions, via mail or electronically.
30 Section 6. Report.
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1 On an annual basis, no later than November 31, the secretary
2 shall submit a report to the General Assembly detailing the
3 information collected under section 3 and the graduation rate
4 and the Pennsylvania resident graduation rate at each
5 institution.
6 Section 7. Regulations.
7 The department may promulgate rules and regulations to
8 administer and enforce this act.
9 Section 8. Effective date.
10 This act shall take effect immediately.
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