by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Abilene Christian after their first year? Are Abilene Christian students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 76% students making it past their freshmen year, Abilene Christian has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
How many of the estimated 646 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
48% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 61% in six years, and 61% in eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Abilene Christian graduation rate 61%.
The average length of time it takes an Abilene Christian undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.25 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 521 | 49% |
| Six Years | 646 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 408 | 39% |
Approximately 408 students or 39% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 408 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
340 transferred to another institution.
Abilene Christian lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 340 | 83.3% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 16.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hispanic | 57% |
| International | 81% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 60% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 71% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 Abilene Christian are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Abilene Christian University represent 82% of the students in the class of 2015, and 82.66% of Abilene Christian bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 48%, first-time students in the Abilene Christian class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Abilene Christian graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | Abilene Christian | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 48% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
329 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
286 transferred to another institution.
Abilene Christian lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 286 | 86.93% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 13.07% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Abilene Christian first-time, part-time students.
190 Abilene Christian students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.87% 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 59%, 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 59%.
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 | Abilene Christian | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 59% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 55.07% |
78 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
54 transferred to another institution.
Abilene Christian lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 54 | 69.23% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 30.77% |
2 Abilene Christian students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.19% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 50%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Abilene Christian | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Abilene Christian lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
