Resolution passed by the Utah State Board of Regents outlining specific strategies to improve student completion of degrees and certificates at Utah public higher education institutions.

1. RESOLUTION TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES TO
INCREASE COMPLETION RATES
IN SUPPORT OF THE 66% GOAL
WHEREAS, 66% of jobs in Utah will require a postsecondary education by the year 2020, and the state’s
economy depends on good family incomes, which require more of our young people to succeed in college;
and
WHEREAS, with the support of the Governor, business leaders and K-12 public education, the State Board
of Regents established a goal of 66% of Utah’s adults attaining a post-secondary degree or certificate by the
year 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Utah System of Higher Education awards approximately three-quarters of all degrees and
certificates awarded to Utahns annually; and
WHEREAS, the Utah State Board of Regents is committed to improving the completion rates of students
who enroll in an institution within the Utah System of Higher Education by ensuring a quality, cost-effective
educational experience and awarding meaningful education credentials that will help students find gainful
employment and life-long success; and
WHEREAS, to achieve substantial gains towards the 66% goal, the Board of Regents is committed to
encouraging best practices that can help Utah college students complete a certificate or degree; and
WHEREAS, institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education are already implementing initiatives to
improve completion rates of their students including: proactive intervention to boost student retention,
jointly delivered degree programs for improved transfer and completion in bachelor’s programs, expansion of
critical path courses by leveraging technology, improved first-year experience and counseling, and accelerated
fulfillment of general education math requirements; and
WHEREAS, Utah students who take 15 credits per semester are twice as likely to earn a certificate or degree
as those who take 14 credits or fewer per semester (data show those students who take more credits will
achieve better grades, enter the workforce sooner, and earn more money over their lifetime); and
WHEREAS, tuition rate structures at institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education should encourage
students to take a full 15-credit course load; and
WHEREAS, students should be encouraged and enabled to earn stackable degrees and certificates as they
pursue their postsecondary education; and
WHEREAS, higher education institutions may assist students to navigate coursework toward a timely
completion of a degree by more wide-spread use of graduation maps; and
WHEREAS, improvements in the transition from developmental to credit-bearing math will improve
graduation rates;

2. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the members of the Utah State Board of Regents recommend and
encourage institutional presidents to implement practices in support of increasing college completion rates,
specifically:
● Establish 15 credit hours per semester as the normal full-time course load for students seeking an
associate or bachelor’s degree. Institutions are strongly encouraged to promote the recommended
course load and ensure their own top scholarship requirements define 15 credit hours per semester,
as full time, no later than the 2014-2015 academic year.
● Set plateau tuition levels with a focus on 12 to 15 credit hours to help students maximize their tuition
dollars and their time. Institutions are strongly encouraged to promote the advantages of taking
more than 12 credit hours per semester as a way to complete a degree one year earlier.
● Create semester-by-semester degree program maps with specific recommended courses each
semester and make them available to current and potential students, ensure they are updated regularly
to help students stay on track to finish their degrees on time and better enable institutions to
maximize course scheduling availability for students.
● For students who have not already met general education math requirements in high school, through
concurrent enrollment, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate (1) encouraging students
to enroll in an appropriate mathematics course in their first year of college, (2) encouraging
institutions to adopt a strategy to transition students from developmental to credit-bearing math
within three semesters, (3) marketing Math 1050 as a preferred concurrent enrollment option for
high school seniors.
● During the next year the Chief Academic Officers, Chief Student Services Officers and institutions
are charged with exploring the feasibility of implementing reverse transfer/stackable credentials
where students who complete the requirements for an associate degree are automatically awarded the
degree, by institutions that award associate degrees, without an application (or fee). This may include
the feasibility of a policy allowing for the “reverse transfer” of credits where academic credit for
coursework completed at a four year university are transferred back to a transfer student’s previous
college to satisfy credentials such as a certificate or associate degree program requirements. The
Commissioner shall report the System’s conclusions and recommendations to the Board by July
2014.
Institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education will report to the Board in January and July of
2014 their progress in implementing these strategies.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF REGENTS, July 19, 2013.