A 84% four-year success and progress rate means that 84% of students starting in Fall 2003 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.

Counts for the Fall 2003 entering class shown in the graph above.

• 853 First-Time, Full-Time Students
• 750 Full-Time Transfer Students

First-time students in Fall 2008 that returned for their second year: 72%

Typical Undergraduate Costs per Year without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)

Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $20,990

The cost to attend Humboldt State University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.

Financial Aid Awarded to Undergraduates

Annual Need-Based Scholarships & Grants

• 48% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $6,676

Annual Need-Based Loans

• 47% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $6,394

Percent of 2007-08 First-Time Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid

NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.

Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended

50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.

76% of new freshmen live on campus

23% of all undergraduates live on campus

Humboldt State University has an on-campus Police Department with professionally trained officers and staff. In addition to law enforcement, its services include safety escorts, bicycle licensing, motorist assistance and crime prevention. All campus residence halls have staff available to assist students with a wide range of issues. An emergency notification system offers students and others the option to receive text message alerts on their cell phones. There are also courtesy phones throughout campus for direct contact with University Police 24 hours a day.

Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.

Group Learning Experiences

• 94% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
• 66% of seniors tutored or taught other students
• 21% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports

Active Learning Experiences

• 84% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
• 20% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
• 52% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
• 58% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
• 7% of seniors participated in study abroad
• 95% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year

Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success

• 91% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
• 67% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
• 55% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
• 91% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations

Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff

• 42% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
• 79% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
• 95% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
• 78% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class

Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas

• 74% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
• 88% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
• 61% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity

Student Satisfaction

• 79% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
• 82% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
• 77% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive

All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.

Assessment at Humboldt State University focuses on student learning in all undergraduate and graduate programs including general education. HSU recently adopted seven university wide student learning outcomes that all of our graduates will demonstrate. We are developing ways to assess our co-curricular activities to compliment our curricular assessment.

Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.

Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.

Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is what would be expected at an institution with students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1048
Senior Score: 1185
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 22
Senior Score: 22

Average SAT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1026
Senior Score: 1116

Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is what would be expected at an institution with students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1122
Senior Score: 1241
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 24
Senior Score: 24

Average SAT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1028
Senior Score: 1078