by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Illinois Tech 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 87% students making it past their freshmen year, Illinois Tech 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Illinois Tech | 87% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
Of the 584 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 32% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 73% of the students had graduated and after eight years 74% 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 Illinois Tech graduation rate 73%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Illinois Tech? The standard length of time for most students is 4.50 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 363 | 45% |
| Six Years | 584 | 73% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 210 | 26% |
Approximately 210 students or 26% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 210 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
127 transferred to another institution.
Illinois Tech lost contact with the remaining 79 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 127 | 60.5% |
| Dropped Out | 79 | 37.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 81% |
| Black / African-American | 65% |
| Hispanic | 54% |
| International | 69% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 65% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 79% |
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 Illinois Tech 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 Illinois Institute of Technology represent 56% of the students in the class of 2015, and 55.14% of Illinois Tech bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 32%, first-time students in the Illinois Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Illinois Tech graduation rate was 72%, and by the eight year mark, 73% 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 | Illinois Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 32% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 72% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 73% | 47.82% |
122 first-time / full-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
76 transferred to another institution.
Illinois Tech lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.82% |
| Transferred | 76 | 62.30% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 36.07% |
First-time / part-time students at Illinois Institute of Technology represent 0.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Illinois Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Illinois Tech lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
323 Illinois Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 40.22% 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 77%, 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 78%.
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 | Illinois Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 77% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 55.07% |
72 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
Illinois Tech lost contact with the remaining 27 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 2.78% |
| Transferred | 43 | 59.72% |
| Dropped Out | 27 | 37.50% |
27 Illinois Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.36% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 44%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 48%.
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 | Illinois Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 44% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 37.80% |
14 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
Illinois Tech lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 42.86% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 57.14% |
