by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to MSU Texas after their first year? Are MSU Texas students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, MSU Texas 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 Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MSU Texas | 66% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
Of the 809 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 21% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 50% of the students had graduated and after eight years 52% of this class completed their degree.
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 MSU Texas graduation rate 50%.
The average length of time it takes an MSU Texas undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.67 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 535 | 33% |
| Six Years | 809 | 50% |
| Eight Years | 46 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 774 | 48% |
Approximately 774 students or 48% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 774 students who did not complete their degree?
8 are still enrolled.
392 transferred to another institution.
MSU Texas lost contact with the remaining 367 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 1.0% |
| Transferred | 392 | 50.6% |
| Dropped Out | 367 | 47.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 45% |
| Black / African-American | 39% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 52% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| Unknown | 33% |
| White | 49% |
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 MSU Texas 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 MSU Texas represent 41% of the students in the class of 2015, and 36.71% of MSU Texas bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time students in the MSU Texas class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MSU Texas graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | MSU Texas | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 45% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
341 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
205 transferred to another institution.
MSU Texas lost contact with the remaining 128 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 2.35% |
| Transferred | 205 | 60.12% |
| Dropped Out | 128 | 37.54% |
First-time / part-time students at MSU Texas represent 1.41% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the MSU Texas class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.
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 | MSU Texas | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 17% | 23.72% |
19 first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
MSU Texas lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 5.26% |
| Transferred | 4 | 21.05% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 73.68% |
589 MSU Texas students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.16% 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 53%, 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 55%.
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 | MSU Texas | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 53% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 55.07% |
265 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
MSU Texas lost contact with the remaining 147 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.75% |
| Transferred | 116 | 43.77% |
| Dropped Out | 147 | 55.47% |
357 MSU Texas students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.92% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 55%, 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 58%.
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 | MSU Texas | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 55% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 37.80% |
149 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
67 transferred to another institution.
MSU Texas lost contact with the remaining 78 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.68% |
| Transferred | 67 | 44.97% |
| Dropped Out | 78 | 52.35% |
