Full Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollment
The number of FTE students is calculated based on instructional activity reported by the institution. Colleges on a semester, trimester, or 4-1-4 system should calculate FTE by identifying the cumulative number of credit hours taken and dividing by 30. Colleges on a quarterly system should divide the cumulative number of credit hours by 45. 26
Full-time equivalent enrollment can provide valuable information on student access — overall and by disaggregated demographics — and is also relevant to institutional revenue. Additionally, research shows that many students switch between full-time and part-time status. For this reason, FTE enrollment provides a better measure of access, enrollment trends, and demand for courses than measures related to headcount — overall or by full-time and part-time status.
While college leaders will find value in collecting data on all students, consistently disaggregating data whenever possible can reveal outcome disparities. This information is essential for colleges developing strong reform plans to improve and close disparities in student success.
- Race/ethnicity
- Gender
- Family/Personal Income
- Age
- Parent/Dependent status
- Attendance intensity
- First-generation status
- Veteran status
Students may identify with one or many of the above identities. College leaders should consider how these different identities intersect and pay close attention to these relationships and how they may influence each student’s experience.