How "FTES" is Calculated

Definitions

Contact Hours

• Daily Contact Hours (DCH): Meeting time per day. Classes that meet for a fraction of an hour beyond the standard contact hour have a DCH factor described below.
• Daily Student Contact Hours (DSCH): Daily Contact Hours x Number of Students.
• Weekly Contact Hours (WCH): Daily Contact Hour x Class Meeting Days per Week
• Weekly Student Contact Hours (WSCH): Weekly Contact Hours x Number of Students.

Census

• Census: A reporting "snapshot in time" at approximately the 20% of a course. For full-term classes (Fall and Spring semesters), the census date is the Monday of the third week of the term unless that Monday is a holiday. If that Monday is a holiday (like Labor Day), the census date is the following day (the Tuesday).
• Weekly Census: Attendance reporting type for course sections that are regularly scheduled for the full semester.
• Daily Census: Attendance reporting type for course sections that meet on a regular basis for at least five days but meet for less than the full semester. This type is used for most intersession course sections and for short-term course offerings within a regular semester (e.g., AC DV B70 series).

Positive Attendance:

Attendance reporting type based on actual student attendance for the course section. Used in all non-credit courses and in irregularly scheduled and open-entry/open-exit courses and courses that meet for less than five days.

Alternative Attendance Accounting Method (AAAM):

Attendance reporting type based on units instead of contact hours. This type is used for independent study/work experience where there is non-classroom based instruction and also for most online instruction. The AAAM includes WSCH-based FTES calculation for lab hours (online labs and TBA hours)---Bakersfield College does NOT use AAAM for the lab hours.

Term Length Multiplier (TLM):

Number of weeks of instruction in regular fall/spring semesters. Includes all days of instruction, final exam days, and approved flexible calendar days (BC has one flex day of 24 hours in its academic year which is why faculty have to account for 24 hours of professional development in an academic year). The standard term length multiplier is 17.5. Compressed calendars range from 16.0 to 17.0 (BC's is 16.3). Quarter system calendars have a TLM of 11.67.

Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES):

The equivalent of one student enrolled 15 hours per week for two 17.5 week semesters. This is how we measure enrollment and it is how our funding is determined. It assumes the student has 15 hours x 35 weeks = 525 hours of instruction in the academic year.

Contact Hour (Class Hour)

Each clock hour consists of 50 minutes of instruction (a class hour) and 10 minutes of passing time between regular classes or break time for the multi-hour classes. For classes that extend beyond one clock hour by a fractional amount, the DCH is increased by a fractional amount for every five-interval beyond the class hour. You use the 50 minute class hour to figure out the fractional increment in the DCH. To clarify, consider the following examples.

1. A class that meets for 85 minutes (e.g., 8 to 9:25 AM in our block schedule):
   1. 8 to 8:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   2. 8:50 to 9:25 AM is 35 minutes, so the fractional increment to DCH is 35 minutes / 50 minutes class hour = 0.7
   3. Total DCH for this 85 minute class = 1.0 + 0.7 = 1.7
2. A class that meets from 8 to 10:25 AM:
   1. 8 to 8:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   2. 8:50 to 9 AM is the 10 minute passing time equivalent for required break => 0.0
   3. 9 to 9:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   4. 9:50 to 10:25 AM is 35 minutes, so the fractional increment to DCH is 35 minutes / 50 minutes class hour = 0.7
   5. Total DCH = 1.0 + 0.0 + 1.0 + 0.7 = 2.7
3. A class that meets from 8 to 8:55 AM and 8 to 9 AM have same DCH = 1.0 as a class that meets from 8 to 8:50 since they have not passed the clock hour threshold. A class that meets from 8 to 9:05 AM is beyond the clock hour:
   1. 8 to 8:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   2. 8:50 to 9:05 AM is 15 minutes, so the fractional increment to DCH is 15 minutes / 50 minutes class hour = 0.3
   3. Total DCH = 1.0 + 0.3 = 1.3
4. A class that meets from 8 to 11:20 AM:
   1. 8 to 8:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   2. 8:50 to 9 AM is the 10 minute passing time equivalent for required break => 0.0
   3. 9 to 9:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   4. 9:50 to 10 AM is required break => 0.0
   5. 10 to 10:50 AM is one class hour => 1.0
   6. 10:50 to 11:20 AM is 30 minutes, so the fractional increment to DCH is 30 minutes / 50 minutes class hour = 0.6
   7. Total DCH for this long class = 1.0 + 0.0 + 1.0 + 0.0 + 1.0 + 0.6 = 3.6

The Student Contact Hour table at the CCCCO (link not available) has a complete list of possible scenarios that you can read to your heart's content.

Calculation

FTES for Full-Term class: WSCH x TLM / 525

• Example for class with 30 students meeting 75 minutes per day twice a week for a 17.5 week semester:
  The DCH factor = 1.5, so WCH = 1.5 x 2 meetings/week = 3.0 and WSCH = 3.0 x 30 students = 90.
  The FTES = 90 x 17.5 / 525 = 3.0 FTES.
• Example for class with 30 students meeting 85 minutes per day twice a week for a 16.3 week semester:
  The DCH factor = 1.7, so WCH = 1.7 x 2 meetings/week = 3.4 and WSCH = 3.4 x 30 students = 102.
  The FTES = 102 x 16 / 525 = 3.17 FTES.
  Note that this is a typical meeting schedule for a 3-unit class in our block schedule under the compressed calendar.
• Example for class with 30 students meeting 50 minutes per day three times a week for a 17.5 week semester:
  The DCH factor = 1.0, so WCH = 1.0 x 3 meetings/week = 3.0 and WSCH = 3.0 x 30 students = 90.
  The FTES = 90 x 17.5 / 525 = 3.0 FTES.
  Note that this was the typical meeting schedule for a 3-unit class under our old block schedule with the standard term calendar. The difference in 0.17 FTES from the compressed calendar's 3-unit class is the typical "FTES bump" for a typical class picked up by going to a compressed calendar. The FTES bump was a one-time increase only.

FTES for Less Than Full-Term class: DSCH x Number of class meetings / 525

• Example for class of 30 students meeting 90 minutes/day (so DCH factor = 1.8) with 29 class meetings in six weeks for 5 days/week + 1 holiday:
  DSCH = 1.8 x 30 students = 54 and the FTES = 54 x 29 / 525 = 2.98 FTES.

FTES for Positive Attendance classes: Total "perfect attendance" hours x Decimal Percent of "perfect attendance"/ 525

• Example for class with 30 students meeting a total of 3 hours/week for 17.5 weeks with reported attendance hours at 90% of "perfect attendance":
  WSCH = 30 students x 3.0 = 90 and "perfect attendance" = WSCH x 17.5 weeks = 1575 hours. The Total Actual Attendance Hours = 1575 x 0.9 = 1417.5, so the FTES = 1417.5 / 525 = 2.7 FTES.
• Example for class with 40 students meeting a total of (2 hours + 10 minutes)/week for 10 weeks with reported attendance at 85% of "perfect attendance":
  WSCH = 2.1667 x 40 = 86.6667 and "perfect attendance" = WSCH x 10 = 866.667 hours. The Total Actual Attendance Hours = 866.667 x .85 = 736.667, so the FTES = 736.667 / 525 = 1.40 FTES.
  FTES must be rounded to two decimal places.

FTES for Independent Study: Number of Students x Units x TLM / 525

• Example for 3-nit class with 30 students meeting for 17.5 weeks (so TLM = 17.5):
  FTES = 30 students x 3 units x 17.5 / 525 = 3.0 FTES.

FTES for class using AAAM: WSCH x TLM / 525

• Example for 30 students in an online lab that meets 3 hours/week for 17.5 weeks (so TLM = 17.5):
  WCH = 3.0 and WSCH = 30 students x 3.0 = 90, so FTES = 90 x 17.5 / 525 = 3.0 FTES.

Links to More Information

Sorry, these links are no longer available.

1. Randal Lawson's PowerPoint for the College Brain Trust Enrollment Management Workshop for the Kern Community College District on April 1, 2011. FTES is but one part of his presentation on enrollment management. Other topics included block scheduling in compressed calendars, pros and cons of compressed calendars, FTES/FTEF productivity calculations, when FTES numbers must be sent to the state for funding purposes, and more.
2. FTES Primer (PDF) from the state Chancellor's office.
3. Student Attendance Accounting Manual (SAAM) and Addendum at the state Chancellor's office.
4. Attendance Accounting PowerPoint from the state Chancellor's office.
5. Full-Time Equivalent Student Attendance Accounting chapter in the SAAM (PDF)