by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Merrimack? 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.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 84% students making it past their freshmen year, Merrimack 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 | |
|---|---|
| Merrimack | 84% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
How many of the estimated 531 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 62% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 69% of the students had graduated and after eight years 70% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Merrimack is 69%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Merrimack? The standard length of time for most students is 4.10 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 489 | 64% |
| Six Years | 531 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 229 | 30% |
Approximately 229 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 229 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
164 transferred to another institution.
Merrimack lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 164 | 71.6% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 27.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 64% |
| Black / African-American | 48% |
| Hispanic | 52% |
| International | 48% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 67% |
| Unknown | 71% |
| White | 77% |
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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack College represent 82% of the students in the class of 2015, and 80.60% of Merrimack bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 62%, first-time students in the Merrimack class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Merrimack graduation rate was 68%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | Merrimack | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 68% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 47.82% |
196 first-time / full-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
147 transferred to another institution.
Merrimack lost contact with the remaining 48 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.51% |
| Transferred | 147 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 48 | 24.49% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Merrimack first-time, part-time students.
133 Merrimack students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.34% 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 76%, 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 76%.
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 | Merrimack | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 76% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
32 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Merrimack lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 16 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 50.00% |
5 Merrimack students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.65% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 40%, 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 80%.
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 | Merrimack | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 80% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Merrimack lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
