by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Houston Community College after their first year? Are Houston Community College 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 61% students making it past their freshmen year, Houston Community 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 Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Houston Community College | 61% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
Of the 3,656 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 17% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 15% of the students had graduated and after eight years 17% 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 Houston Community College graduation rate 15%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,597 | 11% |
| Six Years | 3,656 | 15% |
| Eight Years | 418 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 20,001 | 83% |
Approximately 20001 students or 83% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 20001 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
9831 transferred to another institution.
Houston Community College lost contact with the remaining 9436 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 9831 | 49.2% |
| Dropped Out | 9,436 | 47.2% |
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 Houston Community College 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 Houston Community College represent 18% of the students in the class of 2015, and 27.00% of Houston Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the Houston Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Houston Community College graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 24% 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 | Houston Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 22% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 47.82% |
3369 first-time / full-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1489 transferred to another institution.
Houston Community College lost contact with the remaining 1752 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1489 | 44.20% |
| Dropped Out | 1,752 | 52.00% |
First-time / part-time students at Houston Community College represent 38.85% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time, part-time students in the Houston Community College 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 | Houston Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 12% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 23.72% |
8067 first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
380 are still enrolled.
2603 transferred to another institution.
Houston Community College lost contact with the remaining 5084 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 380 | 4.71% |
| Transferred | 2603 | 32.27% |
| Dropped Out | 5,084 | 63.02% |
4089 Houston Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.98% 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 19%, 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 20%.
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 | Houston Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 19% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 55.07% |
3254 non first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
70 are still enrolled.
2311 transferred to another institution.
Houston Community College lost contact with the remaining 873 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 70 | 2.15% |
| Transferred | 2311 | 71.02% |
| Dropped Out | 873 | 26.83% |
6201 Houston Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.76% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 13%, 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 14%.
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 | Houston Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 13% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 37.80% |
5311 non first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
156 are still enrolled.
3428 transferred to another institution.
Houston Community College lost contact with the remaining 1727 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 156 | 2.94% |
| Transferred | 3428 | 64.55% |
| Dropped Out | 1,727 | 32.52% |
