Accreditation

Student Achievement

West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) uses its graduation rate, retention rate, and post-KCTCS outcomes each academic year to document student success.

Graduation Rate

Data Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDs); DSS Performance Measures Dashboard: CPE Strategic Agenda

Definition: Cohort of first-time, full-time, credential-seeking undergraduates who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
Target: Increase by .3 percentage points each year from the baseline.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing graduation rates for all students from 2016-17 through 2025-26. Actual graduation rates generally exceeded targets between 2017-18 and 2020-21, fell below target in 2021-22, matched target in 2023-24, and rose to approximately 54% in 2024-25. The minimum threshold increased steadily from about 31% to 51% over the reporting period.

Graduation Rate
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2016-2017	43.5%	42.8%
2017-2018	44.5%	44.8%	31.0%
2018-2019	45.5%	53.4%	33.9%
2019-2020	46.5%	51.1%	36.3%
2020-2021	47.5%	52.8%	40.2%
2021-2022	48.5%	46.0%	41.5%
2022-2023	49.6%	48.7%	44.2%
2023-2024	49.9%	49.8%	47.2%
2024-2025	51.2%	53.7%	51.1%
2025-2026	51.5%	N/A	N/A

Definition: Cohort of first-time, full-time, credential-seeking low-income undergraduates who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Low-income students are defined as those receiving a Pell grant in their first year.
Target: Meet the targets as set by the Council of Postsecondary Education (CPE).
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing graduation rates for low-income students from 2017-18 through 2025-26. Actual graduation rates exceeded targets through 2021-22, then fell below targets in 2022-23 through 2024-25. Actual rates ranged from approximately 43% to 51%, while the minimum threshold increased from about 28% to 46%.

Graduation Rate: Low-Income
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2017-2018	N/A	42.7%	28.1%
2018-2019	40.2%	50.2%	31.5%
2019-2020	41.2%	46.2%	32.7%
2020-2021	42.2%	51.1%	37.6%
2021-2022	43.2%	44.3%	38.2%
2022-2023	53.3%	45.4%	41.4
2023-2024	55.7%	46.4%	43.7%
2024-2025	55.7%	48.2%	46.3%
2025-2026	55.7%	N/A	N/A

Definition: Cohort of first-time, part-time, credential-seeking low-income undergraduates who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
Target: Meet the targets as set by the Council of Postsecondary Education (CPE).
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing graduation rates for part-time students from 2016-17 through 2025-26. Actual graduation rates ranged from about 25% to 33%, consistently exceeding targets in years where both measures are shown. The minimum threshold increased from approximately 15% to 29%, while actual rates peaked near 33% in 2023-24 before declining to about 29% in 2024-25.

Graduation Rate: Part-Time
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2016-2017	N/A	25.2%	N/A
2017-2018	N/A	30.1%	14.8%
2018-2019	N/A	25.0%	15.3%
2019-2020	N/A	26.3%	17.4%
2020-2021	N/A	25.5%	18.8%
2021-2022	N/A	22.1%	22.1%
2022-2023	26.7%	29.2%	23.6%
2023-2024	27.0%	32.9%	26.6%
2024-2025	27.3%	29.1%	29.4%
2025-2026	27.6%	N/A	N/A

Retention Rate

Data Source: DSS Performance Measures Dashboard: CPE Strategic Agenda

Definition: Cohort of first-time credential-seeking undergraduates regardless of enrollment status who remain enrolled the subsequent fall semester as reported to IPEDs.
Target: Increase retention by an average of 1 percentage point each year from the last five-year average.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing student retention rates from 2016-17 through 2025-26. Actual retention rates remained above the minimum threshold throughout the reporting period and increased from approximately 58% to 67%. Targets rose from about 61% to 63%, while actual retention reached its highest level of roughly 67.5% in 2024-25.

Retention Rate
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2016-2017	N/A	63.8%	N/A
2017-2018	N/A	62.5%	53.3%
2018-2019	60.8%	61.8%	55.5%
2019-2020	61.8%	58.6%	57.1%
2020-2021	62.8%	58.2%	55.5%
2021-2022	63.8%	62.2%	57.7%
2022-2023	60.3%	64.3%	60.8%
2023-2024	61.3%	66.9%	61.9%
2024-2025	62.3%	67.5%	62.2%
2025-2026	63.3%	N/A	N/A

Definition: Cohort of first-time credential-seeking undergraduates who remain enrolled the subsequent fall semester as reported to IPEDs.
Target: Increase retention by an average of 1 percentage point each year from the last five-year average.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing retention rates for low-income students from 2016-17 through 2025-26. Actual retention rates consistently exceeded both targets and minimum thresholds throughout the reporting period. Actual rates ranged from approximately 56% to 67%, reaching their highest level in 2024-25, while the minimum threshold increased from about 52% to 62%.

Retention Rate: Low-Income
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2016-2017	N/A	59.9%	N/A
2017-2018	53.2%	61.5%	52.1%
2018-2019	54.2%	60.4%	54.5%
2019-2020	55.2%	56.7%	55.8%
2020-2021	56.2%	57.3%	55.3%
2021-2022	57.2%	58.6%	56.3%
2022-2023	58.2%	60.5%	58.4%
2023-2024	59.2%	62.5%	60.2%
2024-2025	60.2%	67.2%	61.8%
2025-2026	61.2%	N/A	N/A

Definition: Cohort of first-time, part-time credential-seeking undergraduates who remain enrolled the subsequent fall semester as reported to IPEDs.
Target: Increase retention by an average of 1 percentage point each year.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: To meet or exceed the KCTCS System Average.

Combination bar and line chart showing retention rates for part-time students from 2016-17 through 2025-26. Actual retention rates fluctuated between approximately 37% and 57%, remaining above the minimum threshold in most years and exceeding targets from 2023-24 through 2024-25. Actual retention peaked at about 57% in 2024-25, while the minimum threshold increased from roughly 40% to 52%.

Retention Rate: Part-Time
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2016-2017	N/A	44.1%	N/A
2017-2018	N/A	44.0%	40.6%
2018-2019	N/A	37.0%	42.1%
2019-2020	N/A	42.2%	44.9%
2020-2021	N/A	44.5%	43.1%
2021-2022	N/A	48.2%	45.7%
2022-2023	44.2%	44.4%	47.4%
2023-2024	45.2%	53.3%	52.3%
2024-2025	46.2%	57.4%	51.9%
2025-2026	47.2%	N/A	N/A

Post-KCTCS Outcomes

Data Source: Office of Research and Policy Analysis

Definition: Non-returning credential earners in one academic year that enroll at a four-year institution or are employed in Kentucky and earn a wage greater than or equal to the federal poverty level the following academic year.
Target: Increase by 0.8 percentage point each year.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: 65%.

Bar chart showing post-WKCTC outcomes for all students from 2019-20 through 2025-26. Actual outcomes remained near or above 69% across all years and exceeded the 65% threshold each year. Actual outcomes peaked at approximately 73.6% in 2024-25, while targets increased from about 69% in 2022-23 to nearly 72% in 2025-26.

Post WKCTCS Outcomes: All
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2019-2020	N/A	69.5%	65.0%
2020-2021	N/A	69.2%	65.0%
2021-2022	N/A	68.7%	65.0%
2022-2023	69.6%	71.2%	65.0%
2023-2024	70.4%	69.7%	65.0%
2024-2025	71.2%	73.6%	65.0%
2025-2026	72.0%	69.8%	65.0%

Definition: Non-returning low-income credential earners in one academic year that enroll at a four-year institution or are employed in Kentucky and earn a wage greater than or equal to the federal poverty level the following academic year. Low-income students are defined as those receiving a Pell grant their first year.
Target: Increase by 0.5 percentage points each year.
Minimum Threshold of Acceptability: Meet or exceed the past five-year average of 65%.

Bar chart showing post-WKCTC outcomes for low-income students from 2019-20 through 2025-26. Actual outcomes consistently exceeded the 65% threshold and generally met or surpassed targets. Actual outcomes ranged from about 67% to 73.6%, reaching the highest level in 2024-25 before returning to approximately 70% in 2025-26.

Transfer Rate: Low-Income
Academic Year	Target	Actual	Minimum Threshold
2019-2020	N/A	67.3%	65.0%
2020-2021	N/A	70.8%	65.0%
2021-2022	N/a	69.5%	65.0%
2022-2023	68.4%	68.8%	65.0%
2023-2024	68.9%	65.8%	65.0%
2024-2025	69.4%	73.6%	65.0%
2025-2026	69.9%	69.8%	65.0%