by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Yale after their first year? Are Yale students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 65% students making it past their freshmen year, Yale has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Connecticut, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Yale | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Connecticut | 72.64% |
Of the 1,336 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
86% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 97% in six years, and 98% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Yale is 97%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Yale? The standard length of time for most students is 4.12 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,180 | 86% |
| Six Years | 1,336 | 97% |
| Eight Years | 12 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 27 | 2% |
Approximately 27 students or 2% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 27 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
Yale lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.7% |
| Transferred | 9 | 33.3% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 59.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 98% |
| Black / African-American | 95% |
| Hispanic | 94% |
| International | 94% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 98% |
| Unknown | 75% |
| White | 97% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Yale are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Yale University represent 98% of the students in the class of 2015, and 98.35% of Yale bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 86%, first-time students in the Yale class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Yale graduation rate was 97%, and by the eight year mark, 98% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Yale | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 86% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 97% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 98% | 47.82% |
27 first-time / full-time students or 2% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
Yale lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.70% |
| Transferred | 9 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 59.26% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Yale first-time, part-time students.
22 Yale students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.60% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 100%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Yale | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 100% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 55.07% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Yale returning, full-time students.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Yale returning, part-time students.
