by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Florida State after their first year? Are Florida State 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 95% students making it past their freshmen year, Florida State 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 State | 95% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Florida | 70.38% |
How many of the estimated 8,005 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 62% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 79% of the students had graduated and after eight years 80% of this class completed their degree.
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 State graduation rate 79%.
The average Florida State student takes 4.20 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6,663 | 65% |
| Six Years | 8,005 | 79% |
| Eight Years | 96 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,079 | 20% |
Approximately 2079 students or 20% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2079 students who did not complete their degree?
14 are still enrolled.
1668 transferred to another institution.
Florida State lost contact with the remaining 366 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 1668 | 80.2% |
| Dropped Out | 366 | 17.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 67% |
| Asian | 84% |
| Black / African-American | 80% |
| Hawaiian | 20% |
| Hispanic | 84% |
| International | 78% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 80% |
| Unknown | 77% |
| White | 85% |
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 State 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 State University represent 61% of the students in the class of 2015, and 62.17% of Florida State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 62%, first-time students in the Florida State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Florida State graduation rate was 80%, and by the eight year mark, 81% 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 State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 80% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 47.82% |
1170 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
970 transferred to another institution.
Florida State lost contact with the remaining 177 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 1.20% |
| Transferred | 970 | 82.91% |
| Dropped Out | 177 | 15.13% |
First-time / part-time students at Florida State University represent 0.76% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time, part-time students in the Florida State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.
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 State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 40% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 23.72% |
46 first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
41 transferred to another institution.
Florida State lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.17% |
| Transferred | 41 | 89.13% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 8.70% |
3218 Florida State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.59% 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 80%, 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 81%.
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 State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 80% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 55.07% |
609 non first-time / part-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
10 are still enrolled.
489 transferred to another institution.
Florida State lost contact with the remaining 110 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 10 | 1.64% |
| Transferred | 489 | 80.30% |
| Dropped Out | 110 | 18.06% |
677 Florida State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.65% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 61%, 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 62%.
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 State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 61% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 37.80% |
254 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
168 transferred to another institution.
Florida State lost contact with the remaining 75 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 4.33% |
| Transferred | 168 | 66.14% |
| Dropped Out | 75 | 29.53% |
