by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at KY State? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 78% students making it past their freshmen year, KY State 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 Kentucky, the average is 67.55%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| KY State | 78% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Kentucky | 67.55% |
How many of the estimated 208 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 9% of the cohort graduated. After six years 26% had completed their degree, and 27% 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 KY State graduation rate 26%.
The typical KY State student takes 4.72 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 127 | 16% |
| Six Years | 208 | 26% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 571 | 73% |
Approximately 571 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 571 students who did not complete their degree?
4 are still enrolled.
329 transferred to another institution.
KY State lost contact with the remaining 240 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 329 | 57.6% |
| Dropped Out | 240 | 42.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 27% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 30% |
| Unknown | 33% |
| White | 42% |
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 KY State 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 Kentucky State University represent 74% of the students in the class of 2015, and 59.13% of KY State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time students in the KY State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the KY State graduation rate was 21%, and by the eight year mark, 22% 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 | KY State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 21% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 47.82% |
448 first-time / full-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
260 transferred to another institution.
KY State lost contact with the remaining 186 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.89% |
| Transferred | 260 | 58.04% |
| Dropped Out | 186 | 41.52% |
First-time / part-time students at Kentucky State University represent 1.37% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time, part-time students in the KY State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 9%.
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 | KY State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 9% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 9% | 23.72% |
10 first-time / part-time students or 91% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
KY State lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 20.00% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 80.00% |
149 KY State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 18.53% 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 39%, 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 40%.
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 | KY State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 39% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 55.07% |
89 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
49 transferred to another institution.
KY State lost contact with the remaining 40 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 49 | 55.06% |
| Dropped Out | 40 | 44.94% |
50 KY State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.22% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 52%, 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 52%.
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 | KY State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 52% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 37.80% |
24 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
KY State lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 18 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 25.00% |
