RIT
Institute Research &Policy Studies

Definitions and Formulas

Matriculation Status

Matriculated Students - Students who have been formally accepted as degree candidates through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or Part-Time and Graduate Enrollment Services and are registered for courses. Matriculated students are enrolled into an approved track or program in one of RIT's Colleges leading to a certificate, diploma, associate, bachelor, master, advanced certificate or doctoral degrees. (Tracks include RIT Exploration and the undeclared programs.)

Non-Matriculated - This status refers to students who have not been formally admitted for candidacy for a certificate, diploma or degree of the Institute and are taking courses for their own benefit on a space-available basis. Courses taken by students in a non-matriculated status may, or may not, be applied to a program, once admission as a matriculated degree candidate has been attained.

Active/Inactive Status

Active Students - This status refers to a student who is:

  1. currently in the process of applying for acceptance or re-applying (from inactive or non-matriculated status) for acceptance to the Institute
  2. currently matriculated in a program of study
  3. a non-matriculated student taking courses in the current quarter.

Inactive Students - This status refers to active students who will be classified as inactive if:

  1. there is no registration activity during the quarter specified in the acceptance procedure
  2. the student shows no registration activity in four succeeding academic quarters (eight succeeding quarters for part-time students)
  3. the student has graduated in a normally terminal program
  4. the student officially withdraws from the Institute.

Undergraduate/Graduate Status

Year status within an academic program is determined by the number of credit hours earned, as follows:

Undergraduate

Non-matriculated - Students can be undergraduate or graduate and are classified as year 0. If a student is year 0 and taking a graduate course and an undergraduate course he/she would be classified as graduate non matric.

Entry Status

Undergraduate

Freshman - Students accepted for admission and enrolled as candidates for an RIT degree who have not previously enrolled as a degree candidate at another college or university. Included in this count are students who are accepted for fall conditional upon attending any preparatory program in the summer. Included are students who meet this definition and have advanced standing credits from high school from advanced placement or college course work taken prior to high school graduation. Advanced standing and transferable college credits may not exceed 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours (those exceeding this number of credits should be classified as transfers).

Transfer - Matriculated students who have attended a college or university after high school and have taken and earned college credit.

Off Term Entries - in the current academic year- Matriculated students who were accepted for admission and enrolled in the previous winter, spring, or summer quarters and are still enrolled in the current fall term.

Graduate

New - Matriculated students who entered in the fall term being measured. Included in this number are matriculated students who have dropped out for 4 quarters and re-entered the Institute. This Category includes RIT undergraduates who are newly matriculated into a graduate degree program. For BS/MS programs, some programs change the year level to indicate the student has changed to graduate once a certain amount of credit hours are earned

Off Term Entries - Matriculated students who enter in the winter, spring, or summer quarters and are still enrolled in the following fall term. This Category includes RIT undergraduates who are matriculated into a graduate degree program.

Non-Matriculated

New - Students not matriculated at RIT and enrolled in their first quarter at the Institute.

Off term Entries - Students not currently matriculated at RIT and whose first term at RIT was the previous winter, spring or summer quarters and are still enrolled in the current fall term.

First Time

First Time Freshmen - Students accepted for admission and enrolled as candidates for an RIT degree who have not previously enrolled as a degree candidate at another college or university. Included in this count are students who are accepted for fall conditional upon completing an RIT preparatory program in the summer. Included are students who meet this definition and have advanced standing credits from high school from Advanced Placement or college course work taken prior to high school graduation. Advanced standing and transferable college credits may not exceed 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours (those exceeding this number of credits will be classified as transfers).

First Time Non-matriculated - Student(s) who are registered for courses, for the first time, at RIT but has not gone through the admission process.

Returning Students Status

Undergraduate Returning Student - A student who was enrolled in an undergraduate program in the previous fall term or before, and is enrolled in the current fall term. This category includes students who are persisters and/or internal transfers.

Graduate Returning Student - A student who was enrolled in a graduate program in the previous fall term or before, and is enrolled in the current fall term. This category includes students who are persisters and/or internal transfers.

Non-Matriculated Returning Student - Students currently not matriculated at RIT, whose first term was the previous fall term or earlier and are enrolled in the current fall term.

Registration Status, Headcount and Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Full Time (FT) - Students, both undergraduate and graduate, who registered for at least 12 credit hours. Students on co-op and who are also registered for at least 12 credit hours are included in this category.

Part Time (PT) - Students, both undergraduate and graduate, who are registered for between 1 and 11 credit hours. Students on co-op and also registered for between 1 and 11 credit hours are included in this category.

Co-op - Students, both undergraduate and graduate, who are registered for co-op and not registered for any credit hours are included in this category.

Registered without Attempted Hours - Students registered only for classes on the Student Record System that do not carry credit hours (i.e. Physical Education, some lab courses)

Headcount - Any student currently registered for classes or co-op on the Student Record System.

Program Full Time Equivalent (PFTE) - The number of Full Time students plus 1/3 of the Part Time students. FT and PT status is based on credit hours and not the status of students for certification purposes.

Discipline Full Time Equivalent (DFTE) - The sum of undergraduate credit hours generated in a discipline or college divided by 16 and graduate credit hours generated in a discipline or college divided by 12.

Half Time - Students both undergraduate and graduate, who are registered for between 8 and 11 credit hours. Students on co-op and also registered for between 8 and 11 credit hours are included in this category.

Special Definitions

Credit Hours Generated - The number of credit hours taught by faculty in a course section (determined by the number of students in a course section multiplied by the number of credit hours assigned to the course).

Credit Hours Consumed - The number of credit hours taken by students in an academic unit.

Seat Count - The number of individual registrations in a course section.

Internal Transfer - A matriculated student who changed academic programs from one term for which they are enrolled to the next term for which they are enrolled. Program change implies any change in an active student's program, department or college. All program changes (i.e., college, department and program) will become effective in the first six days of class in a given quarter. Changes requested after this time will be effective in the ensuing quarter.

Transfer In - A student who is enrolled in the home academic program (the program being evaluated) in the current term that is different than the sending academic program he/she was enrolled in during the previous term or before.

Transfer Out - A student who changed academic programs and is enrolled in a different academic program in the current term than the sending academic program (the program being evaluated) he/she was enrolled in during the previous term or before.

Leave of Absence (LOA) - If appropriate to the college concerned, a leave of absence may be requested by a student in preference to withdrawal from the Institute. A leave of absence is not to extend beyond five quarters (including summer quarter). If a student is granted a leave of absence before the end of the quarter, that quarter will count as one of the five quarters. If a longer period is requested, the student should be advised to withdraw from the Institute and re-apply through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or Part-Time and Graduate Enrollment Services when appropriate. A leave of absence student failing to re-register in the quarter expected will need to apply for readmission to the Institute.

Student/Faculty Ratio - (Annual undergraduate credit hours/16 + Annual graduate credit hours/12) / Annual Faculty FTE.