NWU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Nebraska Wesleyan University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

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

• NWU Retention Rate
• NWU 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
• NWU Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

NWU Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 74% students making it past their freshmen year, NWU 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 Nebraska, the average is 73.00%.

NWU Graduation Rates

There were approximately 366 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 65% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 NWU graduation rate 65%.

The average NWU student takes 4.16 years to graduate with their bachelors.

NWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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NWU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 192 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 192 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 141 transferred to another institution.

• NWU lost contact with the remaining 48 who we assumed dropped out.

NWU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 NWU 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 NWU Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Nebraska Wesleyan University represent 64% of the students in the class of 2015, and 63.11% of NWU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 54%, first-time students in the NWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the NWU graduation rate was 64%, and by the eight year mark, 66% 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.

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

First-Time / Full-Time NWU Drop Out Rates

124 first-time / full-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 106 transferred to another institution.

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

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Nebraska Wesleyan University represent 0.18% of the students in the class of 2015.

First-Time / Part-Time NWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

First-Time / Part-Time NWU Drop Out Rates

1 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.

• 0 transferred to another institution.

• NWU lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

123 NWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.77% 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 73%, 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 73%.

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.

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

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

33 non first-time / part-time students or 27% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 1 are still enrolled.

• 26 transferred to another institution.

• NWU lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

81 NWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.34% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 56%, 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.

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

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

34 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 2 are still enrolled.

• 9 transferred to another institution.

• NWU lost contact with the remaining 23 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 Ammodramus under License