by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Lesley? 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 67% students making it past their freshmen year, Lesley 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Lesley | 67% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 394 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 48% of the cohort graduated. After six years 60% had completed their degree, and 63% 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 Lesley graduation rate 60%.
The average Lesley student takes 4.19 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 311 | 48% |
| Six Years | 394 | 60% |
| Eight Years | 16 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 244 | 37% |
Approximately 244 students or 37% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 244 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
180 transferred to another institution.
Lesley lost contact with the remaining 55 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 180 | 73.8% |
| Dropped Out | 55 | 22.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 62% |
| Hispanic | 38% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| Unknown | 80% |
| White | 65% |
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 Lesley 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 Lesley University represent 63% of the students in the class of 2015, and 62.18% of Lesley bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 48%, first-time students in the Lesley class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Lesley graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | Lesley | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 48% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 59% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
157 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
123 transferred to another institution.
Lesley lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.64% |
| Transferred | 123 | 78.34% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 18.47% |
First-time / part-time students at Lesley University represent 7.19% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 60%, first-time, part-time students in the Lesley class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 64%.
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 | Lesley | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 45% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 60% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 23.72% |
17 first-time / part-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Lesley lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 5.88% |
| Transferred | 10 | 58.82% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 35.29% |
126 Lesley students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.27% 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 62%, 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 63%.
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 | Lesley | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 62% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
46 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
31 transferred to another institution.
Lesley lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 4.35% |
| Transferred | 31 | 67.39% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 28.26% |
67 Lesley students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.24% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 64%, 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 64%.
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 | Lesley | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 64% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 37.80% |
24 non first-time / part-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Lesley lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 4.17% |
| Transferred | 16 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 29.17% |
