by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at WCCS? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 57% students making it past their freshmen year, WCCS 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 Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WCCS | 57% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
There were approximately 169 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 20% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 19% of the students had graduated and after eight years 20% 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 WCCS graduation rate 19%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 157 | 18% |
| Six Years | 169 | 19% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 701 | 80% |
Approximately 701 students or 80% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 701 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
337 transferred to another institution.
WCCS lost contact with the remaining 359 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 337 | 48.1% |
| Dropped Out | 359 | 51.2% |
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 WCCS 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 Wallace Community College, Selma represent 55% of the students in the class of 2015, and 62.72% of WCCS bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time students in the WCCS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WCCS graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 22% 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 | WCCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 20% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 22% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 47.82% |
376 first-time / full-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
151 transferred to another institution.
WCCS lost contact with the remaining 224 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 151 | 40.16% |
| Dropped Out | 224 | 59.57% |
First-time / part-time students at Wallace Community College, Selma represent 13.45% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the WCCS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 8%.
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 | WCCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 23.72% |
109 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
64 transferred to another institution.
WCCS lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.92% |
| Transferred | 64 | 58.72% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 40.37% |
148 WCCS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.88% 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 23%, 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 24%.
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 | WCCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 23% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 55.07% |
112 non first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
62 transferred to another institution.
WCCS lost contact with the remaining 48 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.79% |
| Transferred | 62 | 55.36% |
| Dropped Out | 48 | 42.86% |
128 WCCS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.60% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 16%, 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 19%.
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 | WCCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 16% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 37.80% |
104 non first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
60 transferred to another institution.
WCCS lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.96% |
| Transferred | 60 | 57.69% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 41.35% |
