by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at MWCC? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 53% students making it past their freshmen year, MWCC 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| MWCC | 53% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
Of the 461 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 23% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 25% of the students had graduated and after eight years 27% 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 MWCC graduation rate 25%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 385 | 21% |
| Six Years | 461 | 25% |
| Eight Years | 38 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,349 | 73% |
Approximately 1349 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1349 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
445 transferred to another institution.
MWCC lost contact with the remaining 861 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 445 | 33.0% |
| Dropped Out | 861 | 63.8% |
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 MWCC 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 Mount Wachusett Community College represent 38% of the students in the class of 2015, and 40.56% of MWCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 23%, first-time students in the MWCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the MWCC graduation rate was 27%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | MWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 23% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 27% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
501 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
166 transferred to another institution.
MWCC lost contact with the remaining 319 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 166 | 33.13% |
| Dropped Out | 319 | 63.67% |
First-time / part-time students at Mount Wachusett Community College represent 32.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the MWCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
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 | MWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
477 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
17 are still enrolled.
105 transferred to another institution.
MWCC lost contact with the remaining 355 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 17 | 3.56% |
| Transferred | 105 | 22.01% |
| Dropped Out | 355 | 74.42% |
217 MWCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.72% 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 41%, 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 42%.
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 | MWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 55.07% |
125 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
66 transferred to another institution.
MWCC lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.40% |
| Transferred | 66 | 52.80% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 44.80% |
332 MWCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.94% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 25%, 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 26%.
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 | MWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 37.80% |
246 non first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
108 transferred to another institution.
MWCC lost contact with the remaining 131 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 2.85% |
| Transferred | 108 | 43.90% |
| Dropped Out | 131 | 53.25% |
