Student Completion Rates

[dmathews1960 5]

I apologize in advance if there is already a thread for this....I couldn't find one. I am looking for ANY data, even anecdotal, about the percentage of FJC students that earn their A license.  Talking to other folks at other DZ's, many people have told me that they think it's probably 5-10%.   I would be interested in averages, and also in exceptionally high rates (whatever those might be) in order to increase ours.  Many years ago, I was a young Ph.D. mathematician when it was decided that the national pass rate in Intro Calculus (then less than 50%) was unacceptable.  Tons of money was spent by the National Science Foundation to develop different training programs, and lots more effort was put into student retention.  One of the catchphrases was that this course should be "a pump not a filter" into the other sciences.   Of course, there were plenty of folks who didn't see this as a problem that needed fixing.  I remember one professor telling me very matter-of -factly, "Calculus isn't for everyone."   There is lots that can be said about all of this.  I know that it takes time, and money, and dedication to get licensed.  I know that not everyone who takes a FJC even wants to get licensed.  Still, my personal belief is that if the rate is less than ten percent that we can and should do better.   I thank everyone in advance for any data you can provide or any direction you can point me.    Thank you.

[Deisel 35]

AOPA, who has a much stronger database, has the rate of private student pilot completion at less that 20%. They track this information much more closely than USPA as it's required by law since 9-11. I'd assume that we're in a similar situation. The FAA maintains the data on their website for all to see.

[riggerrob 558]

I have seen student retention rates change since I started jumping in 1977. Back then static-line, with military surplus equipment was the only way to start jumping. Retention rates were 1 to 5 percent to A license. IAD and newer equipment reduced malfunction and injury rates, but retention did not substantially improve.

Then came accompanied freefall with much better instructional methods to teach the basics of freefall. Most AFF students only did one or two jumps, but retention rates improved when schools started selling package deals (especially in Europe where corporate holidays tend to be treated differently). Package deals or bulk sales of jump tickets kept students around long enough to earn an A License, but I am not sure how many continued much after A License or their second season.

When tandem was introduced (1983) it vastly increased the numbers of first jump students, but few - perhaps 1 percent - jumped a second time. Either that or they came back once a year to do another tandem jump, with little interest in learning enough to jump solo. 

So these days, we get far more first tandem students. Yes, tandem numbers eat into the number of students that might enroll in other programs, because the smarter schools now insist on every student doing an introductory tandem - to get them over that first huge psychological hurdle. Once they have survived the huge adrenaline rush of exiting an airplane for the first time, they calm down enough to absorb new information and the new skills needed to jump solo. Nowadays, retention rates are still in the 1 percent range, but we are drawign from a much larger pool.