by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Bowdoin after their first year? Are Bowdoin students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 86% students making it past their freshmen year, Bowdoin 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 Maine, the average is 71.23%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Bowdoin | 86% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Maine | 71.23% |
Of the 461 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 91% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 95% of the students had graduated and after eight years 96% 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 Bowdoin graduation rate 95%.
The average length of time it takes an Bowdoin undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.08 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 441 | 91% |
| Six Years | 461 | 95% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 21 | 4% |
Approximately 21 students or 4% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 21 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
Bowdoin lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 12 | 57.1% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 42.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 97% |
| Black / African-American | 96% |
| Hispanic | 95% |
| International | 96% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 92% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 95% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 Bowdoin are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Bowdoin College represent 100% of the students in the class of 2015, and 99.78% of Bowdoin bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 91%, first-time students in the Bowdoin class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Bowdoin graduation rate was 95%, and by the eight year mark, 96% 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 | Bowdoin | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 91% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 95% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 96% | 47.82% |
21 first-time / full-time students or 4% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
Bowdoin lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 57.14% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 42.86% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Bowdoin first-time, part-time students.
1 Bowdoin students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.21% 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 | Bowdoin | 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 Bowdoin returning, full-time students.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Bowdoin returning, part-time students.
