by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding MIT 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 98% students making it past their freshmen year, MIT 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MIT | 98% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
How many of the estimated 1,094 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 85% of the cohort graduated. After six years 94% had completed their degree, and 95% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of MIT is 94%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The typical MIT student takes 4.11 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 995 | 85% |
| Six Years | 1,094 | 94% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 58 | 5% |
Approximately 58 students or 5% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 58 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
50 transferred to another institution.
MIT lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 5.2% |
| Transferred | 50 | 86.2% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 5.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 97% |
| Black / African-American | 90% |
| Hispanic | 93% |
| International | 92% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 95% |
| Unknown | 92% |
| White | 98% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 MIT are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology represent 96% of the students in the class of 2015, and 96.07% of MIT bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 85%, first-time students in the MIT class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MIT graduation rate was 94%, and by the eight year mark, 95% 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 | MIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 94% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 95% | 47.82% |
55 first-time / full-time students or 5% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
MIT lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 5.45% |
| Transferred | 47 | 85.45% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 5.45% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on MIT first-time, part-time students.
46 MIT students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.92% 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 93%, 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 93%.
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 | MIT | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 93% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 55.07% |
3 non first-time / part-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
MIT 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 | 3 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on MIT returning, part-time students.
