by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many ECSU first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore ECSU retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 76% students making it past their freshmen year, ECSU 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 Connecticut, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| ECSU | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Connecticut | 72.64% |
There were approximately 941 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 40% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 57% of the students had graduated and after eight years 58% 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 ECSU graduation rate 57%.
The average ECSU student takes 4.22 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 761 | 46% |
| Six Years | 941 | 57% |
| Eight Years | 21 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 687 | 42% |
Approximately 687 students or 42% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 687 students who did not complete their degree?
5 are still enrolled.
477 transferred to another institution.
ECSU lost contact with the remaining 207 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 477 | 69.4% |
| Dropped Out | 207 | 30.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 47% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 40% |
| Unknown | 66% |
| White | 56% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 ECSU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Eastern Connecticut State University represent 56% of the students in the class of 2015, and 53.67% of ECSU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time students in the ECSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the ECSU graduation rate was 54%, and by the eight year mark, 56% 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 | ECSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 40% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 54% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 47.82% |
409 first-time / full-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
307 transferred to another institution.
ECSU lost contact with the remaining 101 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 1.22% |
| Transferred | 307 | 75.06% |
| Dropped Out | 101 | 24.69% |
First-time / part-time students at Eastern Connecticut State University represent 1.56% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 27%, first-time, part-time students in the ECSU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 27%.
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 | ECSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 27% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 23.72% |
19 first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
ECSU lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 13 | 68.42% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 31.58% |
591 ECSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 35.43% 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 64%, 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 65%.
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 | ECSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 64% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 65% | 55.07% |
206 non first-time / part-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
138 transferred to another institution.
ECSU lost contact with the remaining 67 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.49% |
| Transferred | 138 | 66.99% |
| Dropped Out | 67 | 32.52% |
112 ECSU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.71% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 51%, 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 53%.
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 | ECSU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 51% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 37.80% |
53 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
ECSU lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.89% |
| Transferred | 19 | 35.85% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 62.26% |
