by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Golden West College first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Golden West College retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
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, Golden West College 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Golden West College | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 5,057 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 45% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 30% of the students had graduated and after eight years 33% 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 Golden West College graduation rate 30%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4,332 | 26% |
| Six Years | 5,057 | 30% |
| Eight Years | 442 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 11,288 | 67% |
Approximately 11288 students or 67% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 11288 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
6608 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 4537 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 6608 | 58.5% |
| Dropped Out | 4,537 | 40.2% |
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 Golden West College 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 Golden West College represent 8% of the students in the class of 2015, and 12.97% of Golden West College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 45%, first-time students in the Golden West College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Golden West College graduation rate was 51%, and by the eight year mark, 54% 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 | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 45% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 51% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 54% | 47.82% |
594 first-time / full-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
286 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 300 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 286 | 48.15% |
| Dropped Out | 300 | 50.51% |
First-time / part-time students at Golden West College represent 8.41% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time, part-time students in the Golden West College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 20% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 23.72% |
1012 first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
22 are still enrolled.
383 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 607 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 22 | 2.17% |
| Transferred | 383 | 37.85% |
| Dropped Out | 607 | 59.98% |
4057 Golden West College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.17% 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 44%, 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 47%.
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 | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 44% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 55.07% |
2139 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
28 are still enrolled.
1241 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 870 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 28 | 1.31% |
| Transferred | 1241 | 58.02% |
| Dropped Out | 870 | 40.67% |
10033 Golden West College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 59.77% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 22%, 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 25%.
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 | Golden West College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 22% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 37.80% |
7543 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
85 are still enrolled.
4698 transferred to another institution.
Golden West College lost contact with the remaining 2760 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 85 | 1.13% |
| Transferred | 4698 | 62.28% |
| Dropped Out | 2,760 | 36.59% |
