by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at College of Lake County? 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 69% students making it past their freshmen year, College of Lake County 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| College of Lake County | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
There were approximately 1,018 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 25% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 25% of the students had graduated and after eight years 27% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official College of Lake County graduation rate 25%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 880 | 22% |
| Six Years | 1,018 | 25% |
| Eight Years | 59 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,943 | 73% |
Approximately 2943 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2943 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1165 transferred to another institution.
College of Lake County lost contact with the remaining 1721 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1165 | 39.6% |
| Dropped Out | 1,721 | 58.5% |
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 College of Lake County 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 College of Lake County represent 34% of the students in the class of 2015, and 40.18% of College of Lake County bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the College of Lake County class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the College of Lake County graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 32% 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 | College of Lake County | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 30% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 47.82% |
927 first-time / full-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
450 transferred to another institution.
College of Lake County lost contact with the remaining 461 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 450 | 48.54% |
| Dropped Out | 461 | 49.73% |
First-time / part-time students at College of Lake County represent 38.16% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the College of Lake County class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
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 | College of Lake County | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
1226 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
34 are still enrolled.
285 transferred to another institution.
College of Lake County lost contact with the remaining 907 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 34 | 2.77% |
| Transferred | 285 | 23.25% |
| Dropped Out | 907 | 73.98% |
484 College of Lake County students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.04% 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 33%, 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 34%.
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 | College of Lake County | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 33% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 55.07% |
320 non first-time / part-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
206 transferred to another institution.
College of Lake County lost contact with the remaining 112 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.63% |
| Transferred | 206 | 64.38% |
| Dropped Out | 112 | 35.00% |
642 College of Lake County students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.97% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 26%, 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 27%.
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 | College of Lake County | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 26% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 37.80% |
470 non first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
224 transferred to another institution.
College of Lake County lost contact with the remaining 241 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.06% |
| Transferred | 224 | 47.66% |
| Dropped Out | 241 | 51.28% |
