Accreditation

Regional Accreditation

Austin Peay State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist, and doctorate degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Austin Peay State University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Regional accreditation provides support of essential University functions, including:

Access to federal financial aid, grants and other federal support
Ability for students to transfer credit hours to other institutions of higher education, if the credits are appropriate to the designated curriculum and meet the receiving institution’s requirements
Recognition of the earned bachelor’s degree when applying to graduate schools
Can assist students in meeting one of the eligibility requirements, of a relevant bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, in order for the student to sit for professional licensure exams
Demonstration of institutional effectiveness

APSU Resources for SACSCOC Accreditation and Reaffirmation

Program Accreditation

Austin Peay has numerous programs accredited through specialized program accreditation agencies. These accreditations are earned after rigorous evaluation and proof of excellence within of the field of study and degree level. These program accrediting agencies are on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s list of approved accreditors.

Click here for a table with information on accredited programs.

Off-Campus Instructional Site Information

The below information describes locations where APSU offers 25% or more of one or more degree or certificate programs. While many of these off-campus instructional sites are Dual Enrollment sites where high school students participate in completing general education requirements, other sites are available to all students.

By allowing our students to complete coursework at these locations, it opens yet another avenue for APSU to reach out to the community and students in a format which may allow students easier access to needed courses.

Click here to view the 50% or greater off-campus instructional sites with program offerings and services available

Click here to view the off-campus instructional sites which offer between 25 and 49 percent of a program

Student Achievement Criteria, Thresholds, and Outcomes

Austin Peay State University’s (APSU) vision is to “create a collaborative, integrative learning community, instilling in students habits of critical inquiry as they gain knowledge, skills, and values for life and work in a global society.”

In its Student Achievement Core Requirement 8.1 (CR 8.1), the Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requires institutions identify and publish Student Achievement criteria, goals, thresholds of acceptability and outcomes.

Student Achievement Criteria identified by APSU are retention rate, graduation rate, and first-attempt licensure passing rate. These criteria are measured by IPEDS Cohort Retention, 8-Year Undergraduate Graduation Rate, 6-Year Undergraduate Graduation Rate, 3-year and 4-year Graduate Student Graduation Rate, and Licensure Passing Rates for Praxis and NCLEX. Thresholds and aspirational goals for these measures are below. Information regarding institutional performance on these measures follows in the drop down menu.

CSRDE (Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange)

Nationwide Participation
Public Institutions
Moderately Selective
- Highly Selective > 24 ACT
- Selective 22.5 - 24 ACT
- Moderately Selective 21 - 22.4 ACT
- Less than Selective < 21 ACT
75 institutions in the Moderately Selective sub-group

Tennessee Peers

East Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee Tech University
Tennessee State University
UT - Chattanooga
UT - Martin
University of Memphis

With Tennessee Averages and CSRDE Rates

APSU Retention Rate Combined

	2014 Cohort	2014 Cohort	2015 Cohort	2015 Cohort	2016 Cohort	2016 Cohort	2017 Cohort	2017 Cohort	2018 Cohort	2018 Cohort	2019 Cohort	2019 Cohort
Type	N	%Ret	N	%Ret	N	%Ret	N	%Ret	N	%Ret	N	%Ret
All Freshmen in Cohort	1,184	71.03%	1,280	65.86%	1,649	67.31%	1,755	65.75%	1,819	63.39%	1,516	67.88%
CSRDE (Moderately selective*) - All	98,604	78.3%	99,146	78.1%	100,501	78.0%	103,051	77.6%	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
Tennessee Peer Average Excluding APSU	13,686	72.29%	12,640	72.86%	13,235	73.29%	14,024	73.00%	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**

(FT/FT Cohort, First to Second Year Retention of All Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students)
*Moderately Selective is average ACT Score of 21 at public, four-year institutions participating in CSRDE
**Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2018 and 2019 updates have not been provided by IPEDS or CSRDE.

View .pdf for full equations and methodology.

	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
APSU actual	66%	67%	66%	63%	68%
Threshold	61%	61%	61%	61%	61%
Aspirational	71%	71%	71%	71%	71%

*Note: Aspirational = (3-year APSU Retention Average + 3 Year TN Peer Retention Average) / 2 Threshold of Acceptability = Aspirational - 10 Points

See line graph in .pdf.

IPEDS Outcome Measure based on the IPEDS "new" Outcome Measure that includes all First-time Degree-Seeking Students (Including Associate Degree)

School	2016	2017	2018	2019
APSU	42%	36%	40%	41%
ETSU	51%	50%	49%	50%
MTSU	52%	48%	46%	49%
TSU	48%	36%	39%	44%
TTU	57%	58%	56%	56%
UM	49%	48%	48%	49%
UTC	44%	47%	50%	51%
UTM	51%	49%	51%	48%
TN Peers Average	50%	48%	48%	50%

Year indicates 8 year graduation window after entering. Eg. 2018 is Cohort from 2010. IPEDS previously provided only 1 year of the date for the new OM. Now IPEDS includes 3 years of data for the new OM, however it is not disaggregated by student groups.

	2016	2017	2018	2019
APSU Actual	42%	36%	40%	41%
Threshold	34%	34%	34%	34%
Aspirational	44%	44%	44%	44%

*Note: Aspirational = (3-year APSU OM Average + 3-year TN Peer OM Average) / 2 Threshold of Acceptability = Aspirational - 10 Points

See line graph in .pdf.

Six-Year Graduation Rate - Combined
With Tennessee Averages and CSRDE* Rates

	2009 Cohort	2009 Cohort	2010 Cohort	2010 Cohort	2011 Cohort	2011 Cohort	2012 Cohort	2012 Cohort	2013 Cohort	2013 Cohort	2014 Cohort	2014 Cohort
Type	N	%Grad	N	%Grad	N	%Grad	N	%Grad	N	%Grad	N	%Grad
All Freshmen in Cohort	1,465	37.61%	1,478	39.38%	1,274	39.48%	1,182	41.96%	1,237	40.10%	1,184	48.31%
CSRDE (Moderately Selective) - All	91,280	52.90%	91,696	52.90%	95,042	54.10%	95,466	55.50%	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
Tennessee Peer Averaging Excluding APSU	N/A	44.89%	N/A	43.53%	N/A	43.09%	N/A	45.43%	N/A	45.27%	N/A	N/A

The Six Year Graduation Rate Outcome is APSU's selected completion indicator submitted to SACSCOC in 2018.

(FT/FT Cohort Includes All Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students)
*Moderately Selective is average ACT Score of 21 at public, four-year institutions participating in CSRDE
**Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2018 and 2019 updates have not been provided by CSRDE.

View .pdf for full equations and methodology.

Six Year Graduation Rate is based on IPEDS traditional FT/FT computation

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
APSU Actual	37.61%	39.38%	39.48%	41.96%	41.62%
Threshold	32.14%	32.14%	32.14%	32.14%	30.22%
Aspirational	42.14%	42.14%	42.14%	42.14%	40.22%

*Note: Aspirational = (3-Year APSU Average + 3-Year TN Peer Average) / 2 Threshold = Aspiration - 10 points

See line graph in .pdf.

Graduate Student Graduation Rate

Year	New Fall Graduate Students	Graduate Within 3 Years	3-Year Grad Rate	Graduate Within 4 Years	4-Year Grad Rate	Graduated Within 6 Years	6-Year Grad Rate
2009	318	155	48.74%	180	56.60%	190	59.75%
2010	257	149	57.98%	163	63.42%	173	67.32%
2011	254	157	61.81%	172	67.72%	185	72.83%
2012	267	143	53.56%	161	60.30%	182	68.16%
2013	248	142	57.26%	160	64.52%	170	68.55%
2014	260	164	63.08%	181	69.62%	N/A	N/A
2015	294	178	60.54%	183	62.24%	N/A	N/A
2016	256	165	64.45%	178	69.53%	N/A	N/A
2017	306	204	66.67%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Average			59.34%		63.49%		67.32%

Includes all graduate degree programs and excludes certificate programs.

3-year Graduation Rate*

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
APSU Actual	65.07%	72.88%	72.27%	69.05%	77.48%	78.99%	71.43%	59.62%	77.62%
Threshold	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%	58.21%
Aspirational	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%	83.49%

*Note: Aspirational = Avg. + (STD*2); Threshold = Avg. - (STD*2)

4-year Graduation Rate*

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
APSU Actual	60.90%	66.13%	65.00%	62.24%	69.53%
Threshold	58.74%	58.74%	58.74%	58.74%	58.74%
Aspirational	68.40%	68.40%	68.40%	68.40%	68.40%

*Note: Aspirational = Avg. + (STD*2); Threshold = Avg. - (STD*2)

6-year Graduation Rate*

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
APSU Actual	59.75%	67.32%	72.83%	68.16%	68.55%	75.22%
Threshold	57.84%	57.84%	57.84%	57.84%	57.84%	57.84%
Aspirational	76.80%	76.80%	76.80%	76.80%	76.80%	76.80%

*Note: Aspirational = Avg. + (STD*2); Threshold = Avg. - (STD*2)

See line graph in .pdf.

The data below are licensure pass rates on first attempt of the licensure exam for PRAXIS (Special Education and Interdisciplinary Studies) and NCLEX.

Tennessee Peers - Licensure Passing Rate

	2014	2014	2015	2015	2016	2016	2017	2017	2018	2018
Institution	Education	Nursing	Education	Nursing	Education	Nursing	Education	Nursing	Education*	Nursing
Austin Peay State University	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	96.60%	98.70%	92.20%	97.30%	95.30%	99.00%	100.00%
East Tennessee State University	100.00%	85.70%	100.00%	87.60%	100.00%	87.96%	100.00%	94.60%	N/A	N/A
Middle Tennessee State University (PW)	92.20%	91.10%	100.00%	79.50%	99.50%	86.80%	98.90%	97.90%	N/A	N/A
Tennessee State University	100.00%	75.00%	100.00%	63.60%	72.20%	72.20%	100.00%	48.90%	N/A	N/A
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga	97.60%	95.90%	99.00%	90.80%	93.40%	88.20%	93.10%	97.40%	N/A	N/A
The University of Tennessee - Martin	95.20%	100.00%	94.60%	90.80%	100.00%	99.10%	99.10%	100.00%	N/A	N/A
The University of Memphis	93.40%	88.90%	98.80%	89.70%	97.10%	85.00%	91.70%	90.70%	N/A	N/A

*Note: The Praxis test for Education has been replaced by edTPA

APSU Licensure Passing Rates

PRAXIS Special Ed Pass Rates and PRAXIS Int. Stud. (Interdisciplinary Studies, now called Education) (First Attempt):

Aspirational Goal and Threshold of Acceptability = 100%. COE leadership recommended 100% for both exams for both aspirational goal and threshold of acceptability since COE students must pass all required PRAXIS exams to complete the program and obtain a teaching license.

NCLEX Pass Rates (First Attempt):

Aspirational Goal = 96.27% (based on a three year average of APSU NCLEX pass rates)
Threshold of Acceptability = 80% (The team recommends 80% because this is the minimum passing rate set by CCNE accreditation standards

Click here for a pdf with more information about the APSU Student Achievement criteria and outcomes.