MCAD Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Minneapolis College of Art and Design 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Are students coming back to MCAD after their first year? Are MCAD students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.

• MCAD Retention Rate
• MCAD Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• MCAD Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

MCAD Retention Rate

The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.

With 68% students making it past their freshmen year, MCAD 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.

MCAD Graduation Rates

There were approximately 87 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 47% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 63% of the students had graduated and after eight years 64% 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 MCAD graduation rate 63%.

The typical MCAD student takes 4.21 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

MCAD Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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MCAD Drop Out Rate

Approximately 49 students or 36% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 49 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 31 transferred to another institution.

• MCAD lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.

MCAD Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 MCAD 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 MCAD Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Minneapolis College of Art and Design represent 62% of the students in the class of 2015, and 58.62% of MCAD bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 47%, first-time students in the MCAD class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the MCAD 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.

MCAD First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time MCAD Drop Out Rates

33 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 24 transferred to another institution.

• MCAD lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on MCAD first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

51 MCAD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.96% 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 71%, 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 71%.

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.

MCAD Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time MCAD Drop Out Rates

15 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 6 transferred to another institution.

• MCAD lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1 MCAD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.72% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 0%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 0%.

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.

MCAD Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Part-Time MCAD Drop Out Rates

1 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 1 transferred to another institution.

• MCAD lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• Image Credit: By McGhiever under License