Cal State Monterey Bay leads system on GI 2025

At the California State University Graduation Initiative 2025 Symposium on Oct. 15, leaders from across the system gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of an ambitious 10-year plan to increase graduation rates and eliminate equity gaps. During the symposium, Cal State Monterey Bay was recognized as the only campus in the system to achieve all six of its targets.

Graduation rates are a particularly important metric as keeping students on target for earning their degrees in four years for first-time freshmen and two years for transfer students ensures that they enter the workforce with less debt and can begin meaningful careers. It allows the university to uphold its promise to students of providing accessible and affordable education, and adds to the skilled workforce across our region and state.

“I am extremely proud that Cal State Monterey Bay achieved all six of its GI 2025 targets,” said Cal State Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones. “The results reflect our commitment to ensuring every Otter student has the resources and support they need to be successful, and with this momentum, we will continue to make progress as a university.”

The university increased its first-time four-year graduation rates by more than 23% during the course of the initiative and exceeded its final target goal by 2.5%. Throughout the system, five campuses hit or exceeded their target for the metric. Cal State Monterey Bay increased its first-time six-year graduation rates by 9.1%, one of only two campuses to meet the target.

For transfer students, Cal State Monterey Bay also made significant strides, increasing two-year transfer student graduation rates by 32.7% and four-year transfer graduation rates to 9.5%. The last measures included eliminating any gap between historically underrepresented students or those who are Pell-eligible and their peers.

Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs Andrew Lawson expressed enthusiasm as well.

“Our success with GI 2025 required the collaboration of many faculty, advisors and staff to ensure our students had the resources and support to stay on track toward graduation,” Lawson said. “We will continue our work to provide the mentorship and career-building opportunities that make our students successful upon graduation.”

Systemwide, GI 2025 reshaped the CSU’s approach to student success, emphasizing support for the whole student and steady progress to a degree. During the initiative, the systemwide four-year graduation rate for first-time, first-year students rose from 19% to 37%, and the two-year graduation rate for transfer students grew by 15 percentage points.

Across the system, 13 CSU universities increased their four-year graduation rates by at least 15 points, with five improving by 20 points or more and six surpassing the systemwide four-year target of 40%. For transfer students, 10 campuses posted gains of 15 points or more in the two-year rate, including three with increases of 20 points or more, and 11 campuses exceeded the systemwide goal of 45%.

As GI 2025 ends, the CSU Chancellor’s Office announced a new student success framework that will guide the system, based on its findings from the Year of Engagement. The plan aligns well with Cal State Monterey Bay’s Making Waves, Transforming Futures Strategic Plan, with an emphasis on experiential learning, post-graduate outcomes, alumni engagement and other metrics.

“The CSU student success framework reminds us that our work doesn’t end when students graduate. It continues as they build lives, careers and communities that strengthen California,” said Dilcie Perez, deputy vice president of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success. “That’s the CSU Promise, and it’s the future we’re creating together – one student, one campus and one opportunity at a time.”

GI 2025 progress

First-year four-year rates
23.1% to 46.5%

First-year six-year rates
53.4% to 62.5%

Transfer two-year rates
34.2% to 66.9%

Transfer four-year rates
70.5% to 80%

Equity gap
-3.7%

Pell gap
1.6%