Student Success Metrics

NDU is dedicated to delivering an exceptional student experience that encompasses not only academic achievements, including hands-on learning opportunities, state-of-the-art labs, and esteemed faculty members, but also overall student contentment, active participation in extracurricular activities, and effective preparation for future careers. To comprehensively assess our performance across these diverse areas, NDU employs four key categories to measure student success:

1. Retention Rate: This metric evaluates student satisfaction at the university by tracking the percentage of students who choose to continue their studies at NDU.
2. Pass Rate on National Exams: This category focuses on assessing students' performance in national exams, such as the colloquium exam for nursing.
3. Graduation Rate: Here, we examine the number of students successfully graduating within a specified residency period each year.
4. Employability: This metric measures the percentage of students who secure employment upon graduation.

Detailed criteria for these measurements are provided below. The subsequent graphs and tables present the distribution of students across each category, serving as a foundation for evaluating NDU's performance, with a primary focus on our most vital asset: our students.

Student Retention Rates

Student retention rates are comparable with other universities of the same size and classification. The below Table shows the trend for undergraduate retention rates for the three campuses. Retention rates across all programs and locations are similar.

Retention Rate Calculation Methodology

Percentages of students entering each Fall as first-time degree-seeking students who return as second year students (either in Fall or Spring). Excluding special, cross and transfer students but including Freshman.

Main Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
85.77%	86.73%	88.04%	83.98%	84.87%

North Lebanon Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
80.99%	82.11%	86.42%	86.92%	86.14%

Shouf Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
79.05%	80.91%	81.52%	80.00%	84.55%

Student Graduation Rates

Graduation rates shown below were somehow stable in the Main campus over the past five years. A decrease of around 15.8% and 9.5% has been observed in NLC and Shouf campuses respectively in 2019-2020. This is mainly due to the political and economic situation the Lebanese were subjected to since the start of the unrest period in the country coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, which was more intense in the North of Lebanon where there is more poverty. It is worthwhile mentioning that prior to the unrest period and COVID-19 pandemic, almost 30% of NDU students were self-supporting and relied on part time jobs to meet their tuition commitments. Student Satisfaction Surveys often indicated that students took a semester or sometimes one year off to save money for their education.

Graduation Rates Calculation Methodology

First Time students including freshman, excluding cross, special and transfer students.
Fall semester new enrolled students, excluding students enrolled in the spring semester.
The IPEDS graduation rate is considered as 150% of program length.
The program length (number of semesters) is measured as: Number of credits required on student's program sheet divided by 15.
Students' number of semesters spent at NDU= Number of Semesters (excluding summer sessions)-Number of semesters in the Intensive English Course.

Main Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
67.18%	69.20%	67.86%	64.84%	67.41%

North Lebanon Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
72.04%	71.09%	59.87%	62.11%	60.00%

Shouf Campus

FY 2017/2018	FY 2018/2019	FY 2019/2020	FY 2020/2021	FY 2021/2022
83.33%	81.82%	74.07%	70.73%	69.87%

Licensure Passage Rates

The Licensure Passage rate is another monitored student achievement performance. The following major graduate students sit for a National Licensure Passage exam: Nutrition & Dietetics, Nursing, Medical Lab Technology, Law, and Psychology. As shown in the table below, the passage rate is very high and satisfactory. * Note: During the year 2019-2020, the Bar Association Exam was not held.

Note

- During the year 2019-2020, the Bar Association Exam was not held.
- National Colloquium for the Profession of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology started in year 2019-2020.

Name of Exam	AY 2017-2018
Name of Exam	# Who Took Exam	# Who Passed Exam
Nutrition & Dietetics Colloquium Exam	14	14
Nursing Colloquium Exam	3	3
Medical Lab Technology Colloquium Exam	3	3
Bar Association Exam	16	11
National Colloquium for the Profession of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology	-	-

Name of Exam	AY 2018-2019
Name of Exam	# Who Took Exam	# Who Passed Exam
Nutrition & Dietetics Colloquium Exam	19	19
Nursing Colloquium Exam	1	1
Medical Lab Technology Colloquium Exam	5	5
Bar Association Exam	15	12
National Colloquium for the Profession of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology	-	-

Name of Exam	AY 2019-2020
Name of Exam	# Who Took Exam	# Who Passed Exam
Nutrition & Dietetics Colloquium Exam	18	18
Nursing Colloquium Exam	3	3
Medical Lab Technology Colloquium Exam	2	2
Bar Association Exam	-	-
National Colloquium for the Profession of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology	2	2

Name of Exam	AY 2020-2021
Name of Exam	# Who Took Exam	# Who Passed Exam
Nutrition & Dietetics Colloquium Exam	23	20
Nursing Colloquium Exam	13	13
Medical Lab Technology Colloquium Exam	0	0
Bar Association Exam	12	5
National Colloquium for the Profession of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology	3	3

Employability Rates

The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, in collaboration with the OIRA, annually conducts an employability survey for undergraduate and graduate students 6 to 12 months after graduation. The survey looks into alumni employability in their field of studies except for the majors of Law and Nutrition and Dietetics that are surveyed one year following graduation. Upon completion of the surveys, data are validated by OIRA and an official rate per major is adopted. The below chart shows the average employability rates across the last 3 academic years for all 7 Faculties and all 3 Campuses. The decrease in the employability rate starting the Academic Year 2019-2020 is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the combined social and economic crises hitting Lebanon since 2019.

Employability Rates Calculation Methodology

Percentage of graduates of a specific year, who are employed in their field of studies, out of all graduates of the same specific year who respond to the employability survey.

Student Success Metrics