by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Cal U after their first year? Are Cal U 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 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Cal U has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Cal U | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 1,238 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 35% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 53% of the students had graduated and after eight years 55% 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 Cal U graduation rate 53%.
The average length of time it takes an Cal U undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.32 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 972 | 42% |
| Six Years | 1,238 | 53% |
| Eight Years | 36 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,044 | 45% |
Approximately 1044 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1044 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
549 transferred to another institution.
Cal U lost contact with the remaining 484 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 549 | 52.6% |
| Dropped Out | 484 | 46.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 57% |
| Black / African-American | 35% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| International | 43% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 53% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 55% |
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 Cal U 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 California University of Pennsylvania represent 57% of the students in the class of 2015, and 54.68% of Cal U bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the Cal U class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Cal U graduation rate was 51%, and by the eight year mark, 53% 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 | Cal U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 51% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 47.82% |
616 first-time / full-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
351 transferred to another institution.
Cal U lost contact with the remaining 259 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.49% |
| Transferred | 351 | 56.98% |
| Dropped Out | 259 | 42.05% |
First-time / part-time students at California University of Pennsylvania represent 0.52% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the Cal U class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 8%.
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 | Cal U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 23.72% |
11 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Cal U lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 18.18% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 81.82% |
773 Cal U students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 33.35% 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 56%, 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 58%.
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 | Cal U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 55.07% |
326 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
155 transferred to another institution.
Cal U lost contact with the remaining 167 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.23% |
| Transferred | 155 | 47.55% |
| Dropped Out | 167 | 51.23% |
218 Cal U students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.40% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 57%, 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 58%.
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 | Cal U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 57% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 37.80% |
91 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
41 transferred to another institution.
Cal U lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.10% |
| Transferred | 41 | 45.05% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 53.85% |
