by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Macalester 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, Macalester 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Macalester | 90% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Minnesota | 67.05% |
There were approximately 438 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
85% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 87% in six years, and 88% in eight years.
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 Macalester graduation rate 87%.
The average length of time it takes an Macalester undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.06 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 424 | 85% |
| Six Years | 438 | 87% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 59 | 12% |
Approximately 59 students or 12% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 59 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
45 transferred to another institution.
Macalester lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.7% |
| Transferred | 45 | 76.3% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 22.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 94% |
| Black / African-American | 77% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 84% |
| International | 91% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 91% |
| White | 95% |
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 Macalester 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 Macalester College represent 95% of the students in the class of 2015, and 95.43% of Macalester bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 85%, first-time students in the Macalester class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Macalester graduation rate was 87%, and by the eight year mark, 88% 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 | Macalester | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 87% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 88% | 47.82% |
56 first-time / full-time students or 12% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
45 transferred to another institution.
Macalester lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.79% |
| Transferred | 45 | 80.36% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 17.86% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Macalester first-time, part-time students.
23 Macalester students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.59% 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 87%, 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 87%.
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 | Macalester | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 87% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 87% | 55.07% |
3 non first-time / part-time students or 13% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Macalester lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Macalester returning, part-time students.
