by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at William & Mary? 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 93% students making it past their freshmen year, William & Mary 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 Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| William & Mary | 93% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
Of the 1,631 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 85% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 92% of the students had graduated and after eight years 92% 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 William & Mary graduation rate 92%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at William & Mary? The standard length of time for most students is 4.06 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,525 | 86% |
| Six Years | 1,631 | 92% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 139 | 8% |
Approximately 139 students or 8% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 139 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
103 transferred to another institution.
William & Mary lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.2% |
| Transferred | 103 | 74.1% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 23.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 94% |
| Black / African-American | 86% |
| Hispanic | 92% |
| International | 84% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 86% |
| Unknown | 93% |
| White | 93% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 William & Mary are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at William & Mary represent 83% of the students in the class of 2015, and 83.69% of William & Mary bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 85%, first-time students in the William & Mary class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the William & Mary graduation rate was 92%, and by the eight year mark, 93% 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 | William & Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 92% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 47.82% |
107 first-time / full-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
William & Mary lost contact with the remaining 25 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.80% |
| Transferred | 79 | 73.83% |
| Dropped Out | 25 | 23.36% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on William & Mary first-time, part-time students.
289 William & Mary students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.20% 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 89%, 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 89%.
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 | William & Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 89% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 89% | 55.07% |
31 non first-time / part-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
23 transferred to another institution.
William & Mary lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 23 | 74.19% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 25.81% |
9 William & Mary students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.50% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 89%, 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 89%.
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 | William & Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 89% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 89% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
William & Mary lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
