by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to CIU after their first year? Are CIU 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 69% students making it past their freshmen year, CIU 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CIU | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
There were approximately 142 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
70% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 69% in six years, and 71% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of CIU is 69%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average length of time it takes an CIU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.08 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 137 | 67% |
| Six Years | 142 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 59 | 29% |
Approximately 59 students or 29% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 59 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
41 transferred to another institution.
CIU lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 41 | 69.5% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 28.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 36% |
| Hispanic | 75% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 75% |
| Unknown | 88% |
| White | 68% |
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 CIU 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 Columbia International University represent 49% of the students in the class of 2015, and 51.41% of CIU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 70%, first-time students in the CIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the CIU graduation rate was 72%, and by the eight year mark, 75% 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 | CIU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 70% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 72% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 47.82% |
25 first-time / full-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
CIU lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 18 | 72.00% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 28.00% |
First-time / part-time students at Columbia International University represent 2.43% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the CIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less 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 | CIU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 20% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 23.72% |
3 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.
2 transferred to another institution.
CIU lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 33.33% |
95 CIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 46.12% 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 69%, 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 71%.
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 | CIU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 55.07% |
28 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
CIU lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.57% |
| Transferred | 20 | 71.43% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 25.00% |
5 CIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.43% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 40%, 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 40%.
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 | CIU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 37.80% |
3 non 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.
1 transferred to another institution.
CIU lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 66.67% |
