by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Emory after their first year? Are Emory students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 93% students making it past their freshmen year, Emory 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Emory | 93% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
There were approximately 1,819 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 82% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 91% of the students had graduated and after eight years 92% 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 Emory graduation rate 91%.
The typical Emory student takes 4.12 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,685 | 84% |
| Six Years | 1,819 | 91% |
| Eight Years | 19 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 168 | 8% |
Approximately 168 students or 8% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 168 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
104 transferred to another institution.
Emory lost contact with the remaining 60 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 104 | 61.9% |
| Dropped Out | 60 | 35.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 93% |
| Black / African-American | 89% |
| Hispanic | 83% |
| International | 91% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 82% |
| Unknown | 93% |
| White | 91% |
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 Emory 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 Emory University represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 66.58% of Emory bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 82%, first-time students in the Emory class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Emory graduation rate was 91%, and by the eight year mark, 92% 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 | Emory | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 82% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 91% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 92% | 47.82% |
111 first-time / full-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
Emory lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.80% |
| Transferred | 79 | 71.17% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 26.13% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Emory first-time, part-time students.
661 Emory students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 32.89% 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 91%, 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 92%.
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 | Emory | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 91% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 92% | 55.07% |
55 non first-time / part-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
Emory lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.82% |
| Transferred | 24 | 43.64% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 54.55% |
8 Emory students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.40% of the students in the class of 2015.
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.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 75%.
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 | Emory | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 75% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 37.80% |
2 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Emory lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
