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Elon Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

78% 4-Year Graduation Rate
83% 6-Year Graduation Rate
90% Retention Rate

Elon University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at Elon? 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.

Elon Retention Rate

90% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, Elon 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%.

Elon Retention  90 out of 100
0%
100%
North Carolina Retention  67 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
Elon90%
Nationwide70.57%
North Carolina66.53%

Elon Graduation Rates

83% 6-Year Graduation Rate
13.63% Transfer Rate
3.02% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 1,293 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 78% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 83% of the students had graduated and after eight years 83% 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 Elon graduation rate 83%.

The average Elon student takes 4.05 years to graduate with their bachelors.

Four Year Graduation Rate  77%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  83%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  83%
0%
100%

Elon Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years1,20477%
Six Years1,29383%
Eight Years30%
Did Not Complete25917%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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Elon Drop Out Rate

Approximately 259 students or 17% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 259 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred21281.9%
Dropped Out4718.1%

Elon Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native50%
Asian71%
Black / African-American82%
Hispanic87%
International88%
Multi-Ethnic75%
Unknown67%
White83%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Elon 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 Elon Graduation Rates

93% First-Time, Full-Time
84% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Elon University represent 93% of the students in the class of 2015, and 93.43% of Elon bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 78%, first-time students in the Elon class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Elon graduation rate was 84%, and by the eight year mark, 84% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  78 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  84 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  84 out of 100
0%
100%

Elon First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsElonNationwide
Four Years78%37.92%
Six Years84%46.43%
Eight Years84%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Elon Drop Out Rates

233 first-time / full-time students or 16% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred19081.55%
Dropped Out4318.45%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% First-Time, Part-Time
50% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Elon University represent 0.13% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 50%, first-time, part-time students in the Elon class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  50 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  50 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time Elon Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsElonNationwide
Four Years1%14.37%
Six Years50%21.59%
Eight Years50%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time Elon Drop Out Rates

1 first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred00.00%
Dropped Out1100.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

7% Returning, Full-Time
77% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

108 Elon students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.95% 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 77%, 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 77%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  77 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  77 out of 100
0%
100%

Elon Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsElonNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years77%53.83%
Eight Years77%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Elon Drop Out Rates

25 non first-time / part-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred2288.00%
Dropped Out312.00%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% Returning, Part-Time
100% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1 Elon students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.06% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 100%, 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 100%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  100 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  100 out of 100
0%
100%

Elon Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsElonNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years100%36.03%
Eight Years100%37.80%

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