by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Florida Southern 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 81% students making it past their freshmen year, Florida Southern 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 Florida, the average is 70.38%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Florida Southern | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Florida | 70.38% |
There were approximately 483 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 57% of the cohort graduated. After six years 60% had completed their degree, and 61% after eight years.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Florida Southern graduation rate 60%.
The typical Florida Southern student takes 4.11 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 441 | 55% |
| Six Years | 483 | 60% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 318 | 39% |
Approximately 318 students or 39% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 318 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
194 transferred to another institution.
Florida Southern lost contact with the remaining 115 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 194 | 61.0% |
| Dropped Out | 115 | 36.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 60% |
| Asian | 71% |
| Black / African-American | 57% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 63% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 20% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 71% |
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 Florida Southern 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 Florida Southern College represent 66% of the students in the class of 2015, and 69.36% of Florida Southern bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 57%, first-time students in the Florida Southern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Florida Southern graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 63% 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 | Florida Southern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 63% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 47.82% |
195 first-time / full-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
155 transferred to another institution.
Florida Southern lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.54% |
| Transferred | 155 | 79.49% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 20.00% |
First-time / part-time students at Florida Southern College represent 0.37% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time, part-time students in the Florida Southern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.
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 | Florida Southern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 67% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Florida Southern lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
156 Florida Southern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.26% 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 76%, 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 76%.
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 | Florida Southern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 76% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
38 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
32 transferred to another institution.
Florida Southern lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.63% |
| Transferred | 32 | 84.21% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 13.16% |
117 Florida Southern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.44% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 24%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Florida Southern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 24% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
84 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
Florida Southern lost contact with the remaining 70 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 8.33% |
| Transferred | 7 | 8.33% |
| Dropped Out | 70 | 83.33% |
