by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding FDU 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 75% students making it past their freshmen year, FDU 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 New Jersey, the average is 74.83%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| FDU | 75% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New Jersey | 74.83% |
There were approximately 745 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
26% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 48% in six years, and 50% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of FDU is 48%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average length of time it takes an FDU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.28 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 585 | 38% |
| Six Years | 745 | 48% |
| Eight Years | 23 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 782 | 50% |
Approximately 782 students or 50% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 782 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
434 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 341 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.1% |
| Transferred | 434 | 55.5% |
| Dropped Out | 341 | 43.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 56% |
| Black / African-American | 47% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 68% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 64% |
| Unknown | 47% |
| White | 52% |
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 FDU 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 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus represent 45% of the students in the class of 2015, and 40.13% of FDU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time students in the FDU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the FDU graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 44% 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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 43% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 47.82% |
391 first-time / full-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
286 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 103 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.26% |
| Transferred | 286 | 73.15% |
| Dropped Out | 103 | 26.34% |
First-time / part-time students at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus represent 8.19% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time, part-time students in the FDU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 19% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
101 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
30 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 70 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.99% |
| Transferred | 30 | 29.70% |
| Dropped Out | 70 | 69.31% |
391 FDU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.23% 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 67%, 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 69%.
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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 67% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 55.07% |
122 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
69 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 52 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.82% |
| Transferred | 69 | 56.56% |
| Dropped Out | 52 | 42.62% |
335 FDU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.61% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 47%, 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 50%.
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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 47% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
168 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
49 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 116 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.79% |
| Transferred | 49 | 29.17% |
| Dropped Out | 116 | 69.05% |
