by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Cornell first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Cornell retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 96% students making it past their freshmen year, Cornell 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Cornell | 96% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
There were approximately 3,639 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 85% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 94% of the students had graduated and after eight years 94% 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 Cornell graduation rate 94%.
The average Cornell student takes 4.10 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3,363 | 86% |
| Six Years | 3,639 | 94% |
| Eight Years | 30 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 221 | 6% |
Approximately 221 students or 6% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 221 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
130 transferred to another institution.
Cornell lost contact with the remaining 87 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.4% |
| Transferred | 130 | 58.8% |
| Dropped Out | 87 | 39.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 83% |
| Asian | 97% |
| Black / African-American | 94% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 92% |
| International | 96% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 97% |
| Unknown | 96% |
| White | 95% |
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 Cornell 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 Cornell University represent 85% of the students in the class of 2015, and 84.69% of Cornell bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 85%, first-time students in the Cornell class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Cornell graduation rate was 93%, and by the eight year mark, 94% 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 | Cornell | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 93% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 94% | 47.82% |
190 first-time / full-time students or 6% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
111 transferred to another institution.
Cornell lost contact with the remaining 76 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.58% |
| Transferred | 111 | 58.42% |
| Dropped Out | 76 | 40.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Cornell first-time, part-time students.
590 Cornell students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.13% 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 95%, 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 95%.
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 | Cornell | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 95% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 95% | 55.07% |
30 non first-time / part-time students or 5% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
Cornell lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 3.33% |
| Transferred | 19 | 63.33% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 33.33% |
3 Cornell students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.08% of the students in the class of 2015.
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.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.
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 | Cornell | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 33% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Cornell lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
