Vermont
Student Access & Success
Vermont’s four-year institutions receive a good grade in this area, with a high completion rate balancing out a low percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. The state’s two-year institutions receive a very high grade, scoring in the top five states for both credentials per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates and completion rate.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Vermont receives an average grade in this area for four- year institutions. Despite a very high cost per completion ($106,356) that ranks in the bottom five of all states, the state and local funding per completion ($20,353) ranks in the top five states. Vermont’s two-year institutions fare slightly better, in particular with a state and local funding per completion ($14,307) that is the lowest in the country.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Vermont bachelor’s degree holder is $15,000 (or 47%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is almost 2.5 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $11,500 (or 36%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 2 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Vermont receives a very low score for its consumer information and public accountability resources. The state does not measure student learning outcomes or track graduate performance in the labor market.
Policy Environment
The Vermont State Colleges system’s strategic priorities include a very broad aim for improving retention and degree completion, but most of the goals are not related to student success factors. The state does not have an outcomes-based funding or a statewide articulation and credit transfer system.
Innovation
The Community College of Vermont’s Center for Online Learning serves as a clearinghouse for individual online courses available at the institution, but there is nothing comparable at the four-year level. Regarding new providers, Vermont has a highly restrictive regulatory environment, resulting in a low grade.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
VT Nat'l| Student Access & Success | B |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 25.6 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 79.8 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 60.8 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 20.9 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 | |
| Complete College America | * |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | C |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $106,356 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $20,353 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $105,567 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 3 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | F |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $15,000 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 146.9 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $9,115 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 131.0 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.4 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 4.6 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
VT Nat'l| Student Access & Success | A |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 60.0 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 60.0 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 35.9 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 24.6 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | B |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $50,362 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $14,307 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $47,507 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | B |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $11,550 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 136.1 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $6,629 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 122.6 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 3.3 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.82 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
VT Nat'l| Policy Environment | F |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | false | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 0 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | D |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 66% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 50% | |
| Financial Burden | 87% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 60% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | F |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 14.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 1 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 4
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 2
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 15504
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 4844