by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Boston College first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Boston College retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 93% students making it past their freshmen year, Boston College 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Boston College | 93% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
Of the 2,307 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 88% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 90% of the students had graduated and after eight years 91% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Boston College graduation rate 90%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Boston College? The standard length of time for most students is 4.05 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,203 | 86% |
| Six Years | 2,307 | 90% |
| Eight Years | 20 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 225 | 9% |
Approximately 225 students or 9% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 225 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
163 transferred to another institution.
Boston College lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 163 | 72.4% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 24.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 93% |
| Black / African-American | 81% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 91% |
| International | 85% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 86% |
| Unknown | 86% |
| White | 93% |
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 Boston College 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 Boston College represent 90% of the students in the class of 2015, and 91.42% of Boston College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 88%, first-time students in the Boston College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Boston College graduation rate was 92%, and by the eight year mark, 93% 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 | Boston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 88% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 92% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 47.82% |
168 first-time / full-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
139 transferred to another institution.
Boston College lost contact with the remaining 25 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 139 | 82.74% |
| Dropped Out | 25 | 14.88% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Boston College first-time, part-time students.
140 Boston College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.48% 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 93%, 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 93%.
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 | Boston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 93% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 55.07% |
10 non first-time / part-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Boston College lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 8 | 80.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 20.00% |
117 Boston College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.58% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 58%, 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 60%.
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 | Boston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 58% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 37.80% |
47 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Boston College lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 4.26% |
| Transferred | 16 | 34.04% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 61.70% |
