Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) mission is to provide educational excellence that is affordable and accessible for the enrichment of communities across northeastern Arizona. NPC’s vision aims to transform lives by advancing student success and socio-economic well-being. This page highlights several aspects of our students’ success, including successfully completing courses; persisting from semester to semester; completing NPC certificate/degree programs, passing external professional licensure exams, and successfully transferring to 4-year universities. The following highlights student achievements at Northland Pioneer College. The information is typically updated annually when the data sources are made available.
Course Success
Course success is important for academic progress, career opportunities, and self-improvement, as it increases confidence and refines skills. Table 1 reports the percentage of select student groups who completed their NPC courses successfully (i.e., with a grade of A, B, C, or P).
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Northland Pioneer College Course Success Rates 2019-2024 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
|
|
Developmental Math Course Success Rate* |
57% |
61% |
65% |
85.70% |
Not available yet |
|
Developmental English/Reading Course Success Rate* |
57% |
57% |
69% |
66.7% |
Not available yet |
|
Overall** |
90.5% |
84.9% |
83.5% |
85.7% |
83.5% |
|
Early College** |
95.9% |
89.3% |
89.9% |
93.0% |
90.7% |
|
Regular** |
87.4% |
81.8% |
78.5% |
79.7% |
77.1% |
Source: *NPC Strategic Vision Outcomes Report. There is a one-year lag in data reporting. **NPC’s Student Data System. |
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Course Success Summary:
There has been an increase of 28.7 percentage points in the proportion of students who completed their developmental math courses successfully between academic year (AY) 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. There is also an increase in the percentage of students successfully passing their developmental English/Reading courses (an 9.7 percentage point increase) in the same period. Overall, in AY 2023-2024, 83.5 percent of students completed their courses successfully, with high school students reporting a more-than-10-percentage-point success rate than regular students.Retention
Students are more likely to finish their academic programs when students continue their academic progress semester after semester. Student retention is crucial as it impacts NPC’s financial stability, reputation, and ability to effectively fulfill its vision of cultivating generations of learners. Table 2 highlights the retention rates at Northland Pioneer College.
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Northland Pioneer College Retention Rates 2016-2021 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
|
Fall-to-Next-Term Rate |
67% |
74% |
67% |
58% |
68% |
49.3% |
|
Fall-to-Fall Rate |
43% |
47% |
49% |
35% |
44% |
40% |
Source: NPC Strategic Vision Outcomes Reports. |
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Retention Summary:
Fall-to-next-term and fall-to-fall retention rates display a year-to-year fluctuation. In 2021, one out of two students enrolled in fall semester continued to enroll in the subsequent spring semester. Four out of 10 students enrolled in the fall semester continued to enroll in next fall.Completion
The education received at NPC is a pathway for students to advance their economic security, social mobility, and society-wide value when they complete a degree or certificate of value. Table 3 reports the number of degrees and certificates earned by students for Fiscal Years 2202-2024 as reported in the IPEDS completion survey(s).
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Northland Pioneer College Degrees and Certificates Awarded FY 22-24 |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
|
July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 |
July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023 |
July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024 |
|
Total Number of NPC Awards |
574 |
695 |
698 |
|
Total Number of Certificates Awarded |
403 |
535 |
544 |
|
Total Number of Associate’s Degrees Awarded |
171 |
160 |
154 |
Source: NPC’s Student Data System |
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Completion Summary:
In the last two years, Northland Pioneer College reported an increase in enrollment. Concomitantly, new programs such as Health & Physical Education and Behavioral Health Studies were introduced. These factors may contribute to the overall steady increase in the number of certificates awarded to students, which, in turn, has increased the overall number of awards each year. In 2024, there were 124 more awards earned by students than in 2022.Licensure Exam Pass Rates
Licensure is used to protect public consumers by ensuring that those who are admitted to practice, in various workforce-related professions have met certain basic requirements. For NPC students on a Career and Technical Education or direct-to-work path, licensure is part of their achievements and successes. Table 4 highlights the licensure exam pass rates for workforce-related students from July 1, 2020 (FY20) to June 30, 2023 (FY22).
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Northland Pioneer College Licensure Exam Pass Rates FY20-FY22 |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
|
FY20 |
FY21 |
FY22 |
|
Administrative Justice (AJS) |
|
53.2% |
38.5% |
|
Automotive (ATO) |
96.4% |
100% |
100% |
|
Construction (CON) |
100% |
97% |
100% |
|
Cosmetology (COS) |
77.3% |
64.7% |
100% |
|
Energy and Industrial Trades (EIT) |
100.% |
100% |
|
|
Emergency Medical Technology (EMT) |
87.3% |
74.4% |
81.6% |
|
Fire Science (FRS) |
70.8% |
82.4% |
100% |
|
Medical Assistant (MDA) |
100% |
84.4% |
75% |
|
Nursing Assistant (NAT) |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
Nursing (NUR) |
96% |
100% |
100% |
|
Welding (WLD) |
99.5% |
100% |
100% |
Source: External Certificate or Licensure Exam Data from different departments. Pass rates are defined as the number of attempts that receive a “Pass” exam results. Significant variations in rates across years could be related to the small number of students in the denominators. For details associated with specific licensures or certifications, please contact individual departments. |
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Licensure Exam Pass Rates Summary:
Generally, across departments, we see a continued rise in successful completion of licensure exams by Northland Pioneer College workforce-related students. Out of the 11 departments listed in Table 4, seven have a 100% exam success rate for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. Four departments have increased their student exam success rate when compared to FY2021.University Transfer and Four-Year Graduation Rate
Transfer rates in post-secondary education are important as they demonstrate student mobility and success in higher education. Transfer rates can also be used to assess the community colleges in preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions. Table 5 highlights the number of students with 12 or more NPC credits who entered a state university in Arizona as new transfers in a Fall or Spring semester.
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Northland Pioneer College Transfers to an Arizona University |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
|
Total New Transfers from NPC to Arizona Universities |
95 |
86 |
77 |
71 |
|
To Arizona State University |
42 |
54 |
36 |
34 |
|
To Northern Arizona University |
44 |
24 |
32 |
30 |
|
To the University of Arizona |
9 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
Source: New Transfers Report, Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer. For complete reports, please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. |
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University Transfer Summary:
Transfers from NPC to a state University in Arizona have steadily declined since AY 2020-2021. In AY 2023-2024, a total of 71 NPC students transferred to one of the three Arizona state universities, down from 95 students in AY 2020-2021. This downward trend could be associated with the increase in course and program offerings at Northland Pioneer College which results in students being able to complete their certificates and degrees at NPC rather than needing to transfer.Transfer opportunities are crucial for expanding access to higher education for NPC’s diverse student population. Examining transfer graduation rates helps NPC identify successful transfers and areas for improvement, ensuring that NPC’s students are well-supported during their transition. Table 6 highlights the Four-Year Graduation Rate Among NPC New Full-Time Transfers to Arizona Universities.
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Northland Pioneer College Four-Year Graduation Rate Among NPC New Full-Time Transfers to Arizona Universities |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
|
Overall Four-Year Graduation Rate |
74.4% |
65% |
60.0% |
67.9% |
|
Four-Year Graduation Rate Among Transfers to Arizona State University |
72.2% |
63.6% |
72.2% |
60.0% |
|
Four-Year Graduation Rate Among Transfers to Northern Arizona University |
75% |
61.9% |
58.1% |
73.1% |
|
Four-Year Graduation Rate Among Transfers to the University of Arizona |
80% |
75% |
33.3% |
66.7% |
Source: Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Enterprise Initiative Metrics, Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer. For complete reports, please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. |
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As mandated by federal law, NPC is required to complete the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey annually for the National Center for Education Statistics. The current NPC IPEDS survey contains general college information as well as data such as financial aid, enrollment, retention and graduation rates and completions by programs or majors. Click here to see the current NPC report.
Questions Please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness | (928) 532-6132 | Email: Kristina.Jensen@npc.edu.
