Academic Catalogs

Student Right to Know

Student Right to Know (Completion Rates)

In compliance with the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-542), it is the policy of our college district to make available its completion and transfer rates to all current and prospective students. Beginning in Fall 2021, a cohort of all certificate-, degree-, and transfer-seeking first-time, full-time students were tracked over a three year period. Their completion and transfer rates are listed below. These rates do not represent the success rates of the entire student population at the Golden West College nor do they account for student outcomes occurring after this three year tracking period.

Based upon the cohort defined above, a Completer is a student who attained a certificate or degree or became 'transfer prepared' during a three year period, from Fall 2021 to Spring 2024. Students who have completed 60 transferable units with a GPA of 2.0 or better are considered 'transfer prepared '. Students who transferred to another post-secondary institution, prior to attaining a degree, certificate, or becoming 'transfer prepared' during a five semester period, from Spring 2022 to Spring 2024, are transfer students.

Golden West College Completion and Transfer Rates

Completion Rate

A student is included in the Completion Rate if they attained a certificate or degree or became “transfer prepared” within the three-year period. Transfer-prepared is defined as having completed 60 transferable units with a GPA of 2.0 or better.

Transfer Rate

A student is included in the Transfer Rate if, within the three-year tracking period, they transferred to another postsecondary institution prior to receiving a certificate or degree or becoming “transfer-prepared.”

The table below compares Golden West College’s Completion and Transfer Rates to the statewide community college average.

Rate GWC State Wide
Completion Rate 49.06% 38.73%
Transfer Rate 10.03% 9.49%

Data Source: California Community Colleges Student Right-To-Know Rate Disclosure Website, http://srtk.cccco.edu/index.asp

Golden West College Graduation Rates

Below are the graduation rates of full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates within 150% of normal time (i.e., 3 years) to program completion, by gender and race/ethnicity and transfer out-rate for the 2021 cohort.

Overall Graduation Rate Rate
Total 49%
Women 50%
Men 48%
Asian 65%
Black or African American 23%
Hispanic or Latino 38%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 25%
White 52%
Two or more races 52%
Race/ethnicity unknown 25%
Nonresident alien 33%
Transfer out-rate 11%

Graduation rates are based on the student’s completion status as of August 31, 2024.

Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/institutionprofile.aspx?unitId=115126

These rates do not represent the completion and transfer rates of the entire student population at Golden West College, nor do they account for student outcomes occurring after this three-year tracking period. For more information on SRTK methodology, interpretation, and rates at other community colleges, they can visit the California Community College Chancellor’s Office website at http://srtk.cccco.edu/index.asp. Additionally, the IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey utilizes the same cohorts and reports out six-year tracking periods.