by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding GTC 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
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| GTC | |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
There were approximately 924 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 17% of the cohort graduated. After six years 20% had completed their degree, and 21% 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 GTC graduation rate 20%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 736 | 16% |
| Six Years | 924 | 20% |
| Eight Years | 71 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 3,665 | 79% |
Approximately 3665 students or 79% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 3665 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1528 transferred to another institution.
GTC lost contact with the remaining 2095 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1528 | 41.7% |
| Dropped Out | 2,095 | 57.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 25% |
| Asian | 13% |
| Black / African-American | 7% |
| Hispanic | 11% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 8% |
| Unknown | 14% |
| White | 14% |
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 GTC 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 Greenville Technical College represent 47% of the students in the class of 2015, and 50.87% of GTC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the GTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the GTC graduation rate was 21%, and by the eight year mark, 23% 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 | GTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 21% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 47.82% |
1707 first-time / full-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
701 transferred to another institution.
GTC lost contact with the remaining 985 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 701 | 41.07% |
| Dropped Out | 985 | 57.70% |
First-time / part-time students at Greenville Technical College represent 27.99% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time, part-time students in the GTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 14%.
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 | GTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 12% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 23.72% |
1120 first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
338 transferred to another institution.
GTC lost contact with the remaining 768 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 1.25% |
| Transferred | 338 | 30.18% |
| Dropped Out | 768 | 68.57% |
634 GTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.48% 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 28%, 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 29%.
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 | GTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 28% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 55.07% |
441 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
258 transferred to another institution.
GTC lost contact with the remaining 177 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.36% |
| Transferred | 258 | 58.50% |
| Dropped Out | 177 | 40.14% |
524 GTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.14% of the students in the class of 2015.
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.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 24%.
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 | GTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 23% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 37.80% |
397 non first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
231 transferred to another institution.
GTC lost contact with the remaining 165 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.25% |
| Transferred | 231 | 58.19% |
| Dropped Out | 165 | 41.56% |
