by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Howard 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, Howard 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 District of Columbia, the average is 78.47%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Howard | 90% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| District of Columbia | 78.47% |
There were approximately 1,239 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 43% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 61% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 Howard graduation rate 61%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Howard? The standard length of time for most students is 4.23 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 903 | 45% |
| Six Years | 1,239 | 61% |
| Eight Years | 25 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 762 | 38% |
Approximately 762 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 762 students who did not complete their degree?
11 are still enrolled.
549 transferred to another institution.
Howard lost contact with the remaining 209 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 1.4% |
| Transferred | 549 | 72.0% |
| Dropped Out | 209 | 27.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 59% |
| Black / African-American | 63% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 84% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 43% |
| White | 61% |
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 Howard 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 Howard University represent 76% of the students in the class of 2015, and 78.45% of Howard bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 43%, first-time students in the Howard class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Howard graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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 | Howard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 43% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 63% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 47.82% |
550 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
408 transferred to another institution.
Howard lost contact with the remaining 138 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 2.00% |
| Transferred | 408 | 74.18% |
| Dropped Out | 138 | 25.09% |
First-time / part-time students at Howard University represent 1.18% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 8%, first-time, part-time students in the Howard class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 21%.
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 | Howard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 8% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 21% | 23.72% |
19 first-time / part-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
15 transferred to another institution.
Howard lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 15 | 78.95% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 21.05% |
405 Howard students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.99% 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 60%, 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 61%.
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 | Howard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 55.07% |
156 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
102 transferred to another institution.
Howard lost contact with the remaining 54 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 102 | 65.38% |
| Dropped Out | 54 | 34.62% |
59 Howard students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.91% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 37%.
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 | Howard | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 37% | 37.80% |
37 non first-time / part-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
Howard lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 24 | 64.86% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 35.14% |
