UC Degree Completion Program: Six Month Update
Quick Summary
- 86 students served, nearly 500 “in-progress”
- More than half are from underrepresented groups
- Phase 2 of the program will expand criteria for participation to include more students
In its first six months of operation, advisors in UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education’s (CPE) UC Degree Completion Program have helped 86 students who left Davis without receiving degrees to earn their Bachelor’s degree, re-admit, or take the steps necessary to graduate within the next few months.
Advisors are also working with hundreds of other UC Davis stop-outs to evaluate their individual situations to determine if the UC Degree Completion Program (UCDCP) can help them achieve their academic, professional and personal goals.
| Select Outcomes (As Of 4/19/23) | Total |
|---|---|
| Graduated | 32 |
| Filed to graduate | 32 |
| Readmitted | 22 |
| In progress advising | 494 |
| Total | 580 |
“This program is transforming lives,” said Jennifer Schwedler, EdD, CPE Associate Dean and co-PI on the project along with dean Susan Catron. “Our students start college intending to earn their degree, but sometimes life gets in the way. With the passing of 4 to 10 years or more, these stop-outs are now ‘non-traditional’ students – they are older, have family and work commitments, and face considerable barriers navigating UC policies and systems built for traditional learners. A large proportion are from underrepresented groups. Our efforts are crucial to helping these students find pathways to completion, and supporting equity in attainment,” Schwedler said.
Phase 1 of the program targeted UC Davis students in good academic standing who stopped out between 2008-2018. Based on learning from Phase I and input from the campus community, CPE is currently expanding the scope to include stop-outs from 2018-2020 as well as those who did not meet the initial criteria for academic standing and units completed. Phase 2 will also include outreach to adults in our region with some college and no degree.
The UCDCP was developed through the University of California Reengagement Consortium (UCRC), an innovative partnership between CPE and UC Riverside University Extension, and in affiliation with existing programs at UC Santa Barbara and UC Merced. The initiative serves UC students with incomplete degrees and California residents with some college and no degree attainment.
The two-year pilot program is supported by the State Budget Act of 2019, which provided the Extensions with $4.85 million in start-up monies to establish three possible academic pathways: Degree completion (re-entry), transfer, and certificate completion. Although the focus is on degree completion, students opting for an alternative, shorter pathway will have the option to choose from the entire portfolio of qualifying certificate programs at each of the four collaborating campuses.
The UCRC will be featured at the upcoming UC Board of Regents meeting at UCLA in May, with UC Provost Katherine Newman and UCRC chair Kevin Vaughn presenting.
For more information, contact Jake Hosier, academic director, or Jennifer Schwedler, CPE associate dean.