by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Dakota State after their first year? Are Dakota State students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 71% students making it past their freshmen year, Dakota State 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 South Dakota, the average is 75.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Dakota State | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Dakota | 75.05% |
Of the 233 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 35% of the students had graduated and after eight years 38% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Dakota State is 35%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Dakota State? The standard length of time for most students is 4.41 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 158 | 24% |
| Six Years | 233 | 35% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 410 | 62% |
Approximately 410 students or 62% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 410 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
246 transferred to another institution.
Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 160 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 246 | 60.0% |
| Dropped Out | 160 | 39.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 75% |
| Black / African-American | 9% |
| Hispanic | 22% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 40% |
| Unknown | 17% |
| White | 53% |
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 Dakota State 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 Dakota State University represent 47% of the students in the class of 2015, and 47.21% of Dakota State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Dakota State graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | Dakota State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 36% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
189 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
128 transferred to another institution.
Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.59% |
| Transferred | 128 | 67.72% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 31.22% |
First-time / part-time students at Dakota State University represent 5.74% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the Dakota State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 13%.
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 | Dakota State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
33 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 16 | 48.48% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 51.52% |
154 Dakota State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.26% 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 41%, 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 43%.
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 | Dakota State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
87 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
52 transferred to another institution.
Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.15% |
| Transferred | 52 | 59.77% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 39.08% |
159 Dakota State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.02% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 36%, 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 36%.
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 | Dakota State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 36% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
101 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
50 transferred to another institution.
Dakota State lost contact with the remaining 50 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.99% |
| Transferred | 50 | 49.50% |
| Dropped Out | 50 | 49.50% |
