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Program Outcomes Report

SYSTEMATIC PROGRAM EVALUATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has accredited the Department of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) since 1994. In accordance with the 2016 CACREP standards, the Department of Counselor Education at NEIU is continuously engaged in program evaluation activities. The results of the 2024-25 program evaluation have been compiled in our annual Executive Summary Report of Program Evaluation.

Current Summary Profile Enrollment (2024-2025)

  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 129 enrolled (96 female, 33 male)
  • Couple and Family Counseling: 35 enrolled (35 female, 5 male)
  • Rehabilitation Counseling: 13 enrolled (10 female, 3 male)
  • School Counseling: 58 enrolled (48 female, 10 male)

Total for all programs: 240 students

Data collected from NEIU’s Institutional Data Digest.

Admissions (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025)

  • 399 total applicants; 111 admitted (28% admission rate)
  • Large applicant pool, especially in CMHC (166 Fall applicants), but lower admission rates driven by admissions decisions, incomplete applications, and withdrawals
  • Notable disparities: higher denial/withdrawal rates among Black/African American applicants

Program Graduates (2024)

  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 28 graduates
  • Couple and Family Counseling: 8 graduates
  • Rehabilitation Counseling: 5 graduates
  • School Counseling: 17 graduates

Total for all programs: 58 graduates

Retention Rates

Retention rates measure the percentage of newly enrolled students who return the following year. Below is a breakdown of retention rates based on year and program.

Fall 2024

Major Initial Headcount Retained to Next Year Retention Rate
Clinical Mental Health Counseling  120 students 110 students 91.7%
Couple and Family Counseling 33 students 32 students 94.5%
Rehabilitation Counseling 16 students 12 students 75%
School Counseling 55 students 52 students 94.5%

Fall 2025

Major Initial Headcount Retained to Next Year Retention Rate
Clinical Mental Health Counseling 129 students 120 students 93%
Couple and Family Counseling 40 students 33 students 82.5%
Rehabilitation Counseling 13 students 10 students 76.9%
School Counseling 58 students 55 students 94.8%

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs & KPIs) and Clinical Training Outcomes

  • KPI scores consistently in the 4.0–5.0 range (Strength to Major Strength)
  • Strongest areas:
    • Helping Relationships
    • Social & Cultural Diversity
    • Professional Identity 
  • Areas needing improvement:
    • Career Development (DPE: 54.7%)
    • Rehabilitation Counseling KPI (56.7%)
  • Students exceeded CACREP requirements:
    • Practicum: ~100+ hours
    • Internship: ~600+ hours
  • High supervisor ratings across all domains (100% positive)

Licensure & Exam Performance

Department Proficiency Exam (DPE) Outcomes:

  • Overall Pass Rate: 95.8% (68/71 students)CMHC: 100%
  • CFC: 100%
  • SC: 93%
  • RC: 50% (small sample, n=4)

National Counseling Exame (NCE) Outcomes:

  • CMHC: 95% (Spring), 82% (Fall) – meets/exceeds national averages
  • SC: 100% pass rate (small sample)
  • CFC: 67% pass rate (area for improvement)

Illinois School Counseling Content Test Outcomes:

  • 25 exams; avg score 252
  • 18 unique test-takers; avg score 262
  • 100% first-time pass rate

Student Exit Survey and Alumni Outcomes

The Department of Counselor Education conducts an annual survey of the previous year’s graduating class.

  • Overall preparation rated “moderately well” to “a great deal” (2.3–3.0/3.0)
  • Strengths:
    • Helping Relationships
    • Multicultural Competence
  • Lower areas:
    • Career Development
    • Research
    • Technology integration

Alumni Outcomes (Class of 2024)

  • 93% employed
  • 73% employed within 1 month
  • 91% working in field
  • 64% obtained LPC (or equivalent credentials)
  • 55% report being “extremely well prepared”

Employer & Site Supervisor Feedback

  • 100% positive ratings across:
    • Ethics
    • Clinical skills
    • Cultural competence
  • Graduates described as:
    • Professionally ready
    • Clinically competent

Brief Summary of Key Takeaways

Overall, the data strongly support that the Counselor Education programs are highly effective in preparing students for professional practice. Students demonstrate strong clinical competence, high licensure pass rates, and excellent employment outcomes, with rapid job placement and high alignment between training and career paths.


The most notable strengths include clinical training quality, multicultural competence, and workforce readiness, as evidenced by high supervisor ratings and employment outcomes. At the same time, the data highlight targeted areas for program improvement, particularly in career development, research training, technology integration, and specific program-level outcomes (e.g., Rehabilitation Counseling and CFC NCE performance).


Additionally, admissions patterns suggest that enrollment challenges are less about applicant volume and more about process-related barriers, indicating an opportunity to refine admissions practices and improve applicant support.
 

Overall, the program continues to meet and exceed CACREP expectations while demonstrating a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement.

To learn more, read the full Executive Summary Report of Program Evaluation.