College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

Boston College Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

88% 4-Year Graduation Rate
90% 6-Year Graduation Rate
93% Retention Rate

Boston College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How 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.

Boston College Retention Rate

93% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

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%.

Boston College Retention  93 out of 100
0%
100%
Massachusetts Retention  73 out of 100
0%
100%
undefined
Retention Rate
Boston College93%
Nationwide70.57%
Massachusetts73.02%

Boston College Graduation Rates

90% 6-Year Graduation Rate
6.38% Transfer Rate
2.19% Dropout Rate

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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  86%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  90%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  91%
0%
100%

Boston College Graduation Rates vs. National Average

undefined

undefined

Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years2,20386%
Six Years2,30790%
Eight Years201%
Did Not Complete2259%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Request More Info About Boston College
Request More Info About Boston College >

Boston College Drop Out Rate

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?

undefined
Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred16372.4%
Dropped Out5624.9%

Boston College Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

undefined
Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian93%
Black / African-American81%
Hawaiian100%
Hispanic91%
International85%
Multi-Ethnic86%
Unknown86%
White93%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Boston College Graduation Rates

90% First-Time, Full-Time
92% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  88 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  92 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  93 out of 100
0%
100%

Boston College First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

undefined
First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsBoston CollegeNationwide
Four Years88%37.92%
Six Years92%46.43%
Eight Years93%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Boston College Drop Out Rates

168 first-time / full-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred13982.74%
Dropped Out2514.88%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Boston College first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

5% Returning, Full-Time
93% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  93 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  93 out of 100
0%
100%

Boston College Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

undefined
Returning / Full-Time CompletionsBoston CollegeNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years93%53.83%
Eight Years93%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Boston College Drop Out Rates

10 non first-time / part-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred880.00%
Dropped Out220.00%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

5% Returning, Part-Time
58% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  58 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  60 out of 100
0%
100%

Boston College Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

undefined
Returning / Part-Time CompletionsBoston CollegeNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years58%36.03%
Eight Years60%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Boston College Drop Out Rates

47 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

undefined
Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled24.26%
Transferred1634.04%
Dropped Out2961.70%

More Resources:

References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options