by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Fairmont State after their first year? Are Fairmont State students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, Fairmont State has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in West Virginia, the average is 70.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Fairmont State | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| West Virginia | 70.53% |
Of the 674 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 40% of the students had graduated and after eight years 42% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Fairmont State is 40%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Fairmont State? The standard length of time for most students is 4.44 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 492 | 29% |
| Six Years | 674 | 40% |
| Eight Years | 28 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 973 | 58% |
Approximately 973 students or 58% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 973 students who did not complete their degree?
9 are still enrolled.
528 transferred to another institution.
Fairmont State lost contact with the remaining 434 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 528 | 54.3% |
| Dropped Out | 434 | 44.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 18% |
| Hispanic | 18% |
| International | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 47% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 36% |
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 Fairmont State 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 Fairmont State University represent 48% of the students in the class of 2015, and 42.58% of Fairmont State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the Fairmont State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Fairmont State graduation rate was 36%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | Fairmont State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 36% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
501 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
266 transferred to another institution.
Fairmont State lost contact with the remaining 230 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 1.80% |
| Transferred | 266 | 53.09% |
| Dropped Out | 230 | 45.91% |
First-time / part-time students at Fairmont State University represent 2.68% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the Fairmont State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
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 | Fairmont State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
40 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
Fairmont State lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 17.50% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 82.50% |
646 Fairmont State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 38.52% 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 48%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.
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 | Fairmont State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 48% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 55.07% |
325 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
212 transferred to another institution.
Fairmont State lost contact with the remaining 109 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.23% |
| Transferred | 212 | 65.23% |
| Dropped Out | 109 | 33.54% |
182 Fairmont State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.85% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 40%, 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 41%.
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 | Fairmont State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 37.80% |
107 non first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
Fairmont State lost contact with the remaining 62 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.87% |
| Transferred | 43 | 40.19% |
| Dropped Out | 62 | 57.94% |
