by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding DCAD retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
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, DCAD 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 Delaware, the average is 73.50%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| DCAD | 71% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Delaware | 73.50% |
How many of the estimated 75 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 55% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 57% of the students had graduated and after eight years 57% 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 DCAD graduation rate 57%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 74 | 56% |
| Six Years | 75 | 57% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 56 | 43% |
Approximately 56 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 56 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
35 transferred to another institution.
DCAD lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 35 | 62.5% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 37.5% |
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 DCAD 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 Delaware College of Art and Design represent 92% of the students in the class of 2015, and 88.00% of DCAD bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 55%, first-time students in the DCAD class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the DCAD graduation rate was 55%, and by the eight year mark, 55% 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 | DCAD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 55% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 55% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 47.82% |
54 first-time / full-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
DCAD lost contact with the remaining 20 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 34 | 62.96% |
| Dropped Out | 20 | 37.04% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on DCAD first-time, part-time students.
11 DCAD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.40% 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 82%, 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 82%.
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 | DCAD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 82% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 82% | 55.07% |
2 non first-time / part-time students or 18% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
DCAD 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 | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on DCAD returning, part-time students.
