by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at ECU? 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 83% students making it past their freshmen year, ECU 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| ECU | 83% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
Of the 3,729 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 64% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 ECU graduation rate 64%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at ECU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.44 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,586 | 45% |
| Six Years | 3,729 | 64% |
| Eight Years | 97 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,969 | 34% |
Approximately 1969 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1969 students who did not complete their degree?
26 are still enrolled.
1384 transferred to another institution.
ECU lost contact with the remaining 525 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 26 | 1.3% |
| Transferred | 1384 | 70.3% |
| Dropped Out | 525 | 26.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 45% |
| Asian | 77% |
| Black / African-American | 65% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 62% |
| International | 40% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 54% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 66% |
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 ECU 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 East Carolina University represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.16% of ECU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the ECU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the ECU graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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 | ECU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 47.82% |
1416 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
26 are still enrolled.
1071 transferred to another institution.
ECU lost contact with the remaining 302 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 26 | 1.84% |
| Transferred | 1071 | 75.64% |
| Dropped Out | 302 | 21.33% |
First-time / part-time students at East Carolina University represent 0.33% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 42%, first-time, part-time students in the ECU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 42%.
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 | ECU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 42% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 42% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 23.72% |
11 first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
ECU lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 9 | 81.82% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 18.18% |
1365 ECU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.52% 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 75%, 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 76%.
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 | ECU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
330 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
211 transferred to another institution.
ECU lost contact with the remaining 116 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.91% |
| Transferred | 211 | 63.94% |
| Dropped Out | 116 | 35.15% |
503 ECU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.67% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 54%, 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 58%.
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 | ECU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 54% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 37.80% |
212 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
93 transferred to another institution.
ECU lost contact with the remaining 105 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 6.60% |
| Transferred | 93 | 43.87% |
| Dropped Out | 105 | 49.53% |
