by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Columbia College after their first year? Are Columbia College students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, Columbia College 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 | |
|---|---|
| Columbia College | 90% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
How many of the estimated 72 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 67% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 68% of the students had graduated and after eight years 68% 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 Columbia College graduation rate 68%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 72 | 68% |
| Six Years | 72 | 68% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 34 | 32% |
Approximately 34 students or 32% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 34 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Columbia College lost contact with the remaining 26 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 8 | 23.5% |
| Dropped Out | 26 | 76.5% |
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 Columbia College 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 Columbia College represent 98% of the students in the class of 2015, and 97.22% of Columbia College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time students in the Columbia College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Columbia College graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | Columbia College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 47.82% |
34 first-time / full-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Columbia College lost contact with the remaining 26 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 8 | 23.53% |
| Dropped Out | 26 | 76.47% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Columbia College first-time, part-time students.
2 Columbia College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.89% 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 100%, 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 100%.
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 | Columbia College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 100% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 55.07% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Columbia College returning, full-time students.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Columbia College returning, part-time students.
