by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at California College of the Arts? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 71% students making it past their freshmen year, California College of the Arts 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| California College of the Arts | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 317 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
39% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 66% in six years, and 67% in eight years.
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 California College of the Arts graduation rate 66%.
The average length of time it takes an California College of the Arts undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.32 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 247 | 52% |
| Six Years | 317 | 66% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 156 | 33% |
Approximately 156 students or 33% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 156 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
California College of the Arts lost contact with the remaining 78 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 77 | 49.4% |
| Dropped Out | 78 | 50.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 80% |
| Black / African-American | 64% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 59% |
| International | 73% |
| Unknown | 80% |
| White | 56% |
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 California College of the Arts 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 California College of the Arts represent 50% of the students in the class of 2015, and 45.74% of California College of the Arts bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 39%, first-time students in the California College of the Arts class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the California College of the Arts graduation rate was 61%, 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 | California College of the Arts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 39% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 61% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
90 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.
53 transferred to another institution.
California College of the Arts lost contact with the remaining 36 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 53 | 58.89% |
| Dropped Out | 36 | 40.00% |
First-time / part-time students at California College of the Arts represent 0.63% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the California College of the Arts class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | California College of the Arts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 33% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
California College of the Arts lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
225 California College of the Arts students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 46.97% 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 74%, 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 75%.
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 | California College of the Arts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 74% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 55.07% |
56 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
California College of the Arts lost contact with the remaining 38 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 18 | 32.14% |
| Dropped Out | 38 | 67.86% |
12 California College of the Arts students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.51% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 33%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
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 | California College of the Arts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 33% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 37.80% |
8 non first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
California College of the Arts lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 37.50% |
