by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many MUW first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore MUW retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 79% students making it past their freshmen year, MUW 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 Mississippi, the average is 70.78%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MUW | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Mississippi | 70.78% |
How many of the estimated 573 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 25% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 59% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of MUW is 59%. 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 MUW? The standard length of time for most students is 4.47 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 513 | 53% |
| Six Years | 573 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 13 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 387 | 40% |
Approximately 387 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 387 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
239 transferred to another institution.
MUW lost contact with the remaining 145 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 239 | 61.8% |
| Dropped Out | 145 | 37.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 25% |
| Black / African-American | 42% |
| International | 46% |
| White | 51% |
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 MUW 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 Mississippi University for Women represent 20% of the students in the class of 2015, and 14.66% of MUW bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the MUW class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MUW graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 46% 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 | MUW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 43% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 47.82% |
107 first-time / full-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
75 transferred to another institution.
MUW lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.93% |
| Transferred | 75 | 70.09% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 28.04% |
First-time / part-time students at Mississippi University for Women represent 0.21% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | MUW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
2 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.
2 transferred to another institution.
MUW 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 | 2 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
655 MUW students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 67.25% 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 67%, 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 67%.
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 | MUW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 67% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
214 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
128 transferred to another institution.
MUW lost contact with the remaining 85 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.47% |
| Transferred | 128 | 59.81% |
| Dropped Out | 85 | 39.72% |
119 MUW students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.22% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 45%, 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 46%.
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 | MUW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 45% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 37.80% |
64 non first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
MUW lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 34 | 53.13% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 46.88% |
