Peer Institutions
- *Towson University (Maryland)
- *Montclair State University (New Jersey)
- *Florida Gulf Coast University
- *San Francisco State University (California)
- *The University of West Florida
- Radford University (Virginia)
- CUNY Brooklyn College
- Bridgewater State University (Massachusetts)
- Murray State University (Kentucky)
- Eastern Washington University
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
- Northern Michigan University
- Boise State University (Idaho)
- University of Nebraska at Omaha
- Western Kentucky University
- Ferris State University (Michigan)
- Minot State University (North Dakota)
- Northern Kentucky University
- University of Southern Indiana
- Eastern Michigan University
*Aspirational peers
How this list was created
A list was assembled of all institutions from the following 4 sources:
- Currently on our list of peer institutions
- Identified by the IPEDS database as similar to SCSU
- Identified by the Education Trust as similar to SCSU
- Identified by Chronicle of Higher Education as naming SCSU as a peer
Institutions more than one step removed from SCSU according to Carnegie Classification were eliminated.
For-profit institutions were eliminated. 72 institutions remained in the pool.
With input from SPC, the sub-committee identified the following Ed Trust variables as significant to identifying comparable institutions:
- Median ACT Composite
- % Pell (Undergrad)
- % Underrepresented Minority
- # FTE Undergrad
- Student-related Expenditure/FTE
- % International
- % Part-time
- % Age 25+
- % Admitted
- % FT Faculty
- FT UG/FT Faculty Score
Data for these criteria was pulled from Ed Trust. For any institution at which fewer than 40% of students reported an ACT score, converted SAT scores were used.
A score was generated for each variable at each institution by calculating the distance from SCSU on that criterion, setting SCSU equal to 100 and the most distant equal to zero, then assigning a score of 0-100 for the institution. Once an institution’s scores were added, the institutions were listed by decreasing total score.
In order to weight certain criteria more heavily, the process was replicated with fewer variables.
Second Pass:
- Median ACT Composite*
- % Pell (Undergrad)
- # FTE Undergrad
- Student-related Expenditure /FTE
- % International
- % Part-time
- % Age 25+
Third Pass:
- Median ACT Composite*
- % Pell (Undergrad)
- # FTE Undergrad
- Student-related Expenditure /FTE
- % International
The resulting total scores were combined into one cumulative score for each institution.
In evaluating the ranked institutions, there seems to be a significant drop-off at 22. We followed the suggestion of retaining only one campus from larger systems, dropping UW-Whitewater and UW-Platteville to arrive at exactly 20, creating the committee’s proposed peer list for review by SPC.
To identify aspirational peers from the list of 20, the sub-committee was interested in key performance indicators such as graduation rates, retention, and student debt. We were also concerned that our aspirational peers place a high priority on community engagement and commitment to diversity.
Using data from Ed Trust, the 20 institutions were ranked based on overall graduation rate, the gaps in graduation rates for underrepresented minority men and women as compared to non-underrepresented men and women, the percent of full-time freshmen who return the following year, the median debt of completers and participation in the Carnegie Community Engagement Certification program. Based on overall performance, the sub-committee recommends selecting the top five as aspirational peers.