by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to CWC after their first year? Are CWC 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
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Wyoming, the average is 65.13%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CWC | |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Wyoming | 65.13% |
There were approximately 436 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
27% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 34% in six years, and 35% 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 CWC graduation rate 34%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 402 | 32% |
| Six Years | 436 | 34% |
| Eight Years | 15 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 822 | 65% |
Approximately 822 students or 65% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 822 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
335 transferred to another institution.
CWC lost contact with the remaining 283 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 335 | 40.8% |
| Dropped Out | 283 | 34.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 7% |
| Hispanic | 14% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| White | 42% |
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 CWC 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 Central Wyoming College represent 28% of the students in the class of 2015, and 24.54% of CWC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 27%, first-time students in the CWC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the CWC graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | CWC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 30% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 47.82% |
245 first-time / full-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
82 transferred to another institution.
CWC lost contact with the remaining 83 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 82 | 33.47% |
| Dropped Out | 83 | 33.88% |
First-time / part-time students at Central Wyoming College represent 15.65% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 7%, first-time, part-time students in the CWC 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 | CWC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 7% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 23.72% |
184 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
42 are still enrolled.
50 transferred to another institution.
CWC lost contact with the remaining 92 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 42 | 22.83% |
| Transferred | 50 | 27.17% |
| Dropped Out | 92 | 50.00% |
286 CWC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.38% 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 60%, 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 61%.
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 | CWC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 55.07% |
112 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
25 are still enrolled.
51 transferred to another institution.
CWC lost contact with the remaining 36 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 25 | 22.32% |
| Transferred | 51 | 45.54% |
| Dropped Out | 36 | 32.14% |
434 CWC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 33.96% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 35%.
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 | CWC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 37.80% |
281 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
57 are still enrolled.
152 transferred to another institution.
CWC lost contact with the remaining 72 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 57 | 20.28% |
| Transferred | 152 | 54.09% |
| Dropped Out | 72 | 25.62% |
