by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Catawba after their first year? Are Catawba 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 72% students making it past their freshmen year, Catawba 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Catawba | 72% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
How many of the estimated 312 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 47% of the students had graduated and after eight years 47% 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 Catawba graduation rate 47%.
The average Catawba student takes 4.23 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 279 | 42% |
| Six Years | 312 | 47% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 345 | 53% |
Approximately 345 students or 53% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 345 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
136 transferred to another institution.
Catawba lost contact with the remaining 209 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 136 | 39.4% |
| Dropped Out | 209 | 60.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 25% |
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 45% |
| Hispanic | 50% |
| International | 78% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 27% |
| White | 60% |
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 Catawba 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 Catawba College represent 47% of the students in the class of 2015, and 43.59% of Catawba bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the Catawba class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Catawba graduation rate was 44%, and by the eight year mark, 44% 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 | Catawba | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 44% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 47.82% |
172 first-time / full-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
123 transferred to another institution.
Catawba lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.74% |
| Transferred | 123 | 71.51% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 28.49% |
First-time / part-time students at Catawba College represent 3.04% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time, part-time students in the Catawba class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.
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 | Catawba | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 40% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 40% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 23.72% |
12 first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Catawba lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 100.00% |
254 Catawba students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 38.66% 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 48%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 48%.
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 | Catawba | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 48% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 55.07% |
131 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
Catawba lost contact with the remaining 120 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 11 | 8.40% |
| Dropped Out | 120 | 91.60% |
75 Catawba students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.42% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 60%, 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 | Catawba | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 60% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 37.80% |
30 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Catawba lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 6.67% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 93.33% |
