by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at CSU? 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 75% students making it past their freshmen year, CSU 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CSU | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
Of the 883 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 12% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 37% of the students had graduated and after eight years 41% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of CSU is 37%. 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 CSU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.78 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 567 | 24% |
| Six Years | 883 | 37% |
| Eight Years | 90 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,410 | 59% |
Approximately 1410 students or 59% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1410 students who did not complete their degree?
17 are still enrolled.
880 transferred to another institution.
CSU lost contact with the remaining 481 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 17 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 880 | 62.4% |
| Dropped Out | 481 | 34.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 33% |
| Black / African-American | 31% |
| Hispanic | 44% |
| International | 38% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 14% |
| White | 44% |
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 CSU 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 Columbus State University represent 53% of the students in the class of 2015, and 45.19% of CSU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time students in the CSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the CSU graduation rate was 32%, and by the eight year mark, 36% 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 | CSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 12% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 32% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 47.82% |
804 first-time / full-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
17 are still enrolled.
539 transferred to another institution.
CSU lost contact with the remaining 232 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 17 | 2.11% |
| Transferred | 539 | 67.04% |
| Dropped Out | 232 | 28.86% |
First-time / part-time students at Columbus State University represent 8.35% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time, part-time students in the CSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 43%.
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 | CSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 40% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 23.72% |
114 first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
CSU lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 5.26% |
| Transferred | 59 | 51.75% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 42.98% |
582 CSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.42% 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 45%, 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 48%.
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 | CSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 45% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 55.07% |
305 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
180 transferred to another institution.
CSU lost contact with the remaining 121 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.31% |
| Transferred | 180 | 59.02% |
| Dropped Out | 121 | 39.67% |
344 CSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.44% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 42%, 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 46%.
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 | CSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 42% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 37.80% |
187 non first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
102 transferred to another institution.
CSU lost contact with the remaining 79 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 3.21% |
| Transferred | 102 | 54.55% |
| Dropped Out | 79 | 42.25% |
