by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Northeastern first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Northeastern retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 97% students making it past their freshmen year, Northeastern 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Northeastern | 97% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 3,570 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 18% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 87% of the students had graduated and after eight years 88% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Northeastern graduation rate 87%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,017 | 25% |
| Six Years | 3,570 | 87% |
| Eight Years | 27 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 499 | 12% |
Approximately 499 students or 12% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 499 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
325 transferred to another institution.
Northeastern lost contact with the remaining 165 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.6% |
| Transferred | 325 | 65.1% |
| Dropped Out | 165 | 33.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 94% |
| Black / African-American | 83% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 89% |
| International | 84% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 90% |
| Unknown | 88% |
| White | 91% |
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 Northeastern 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 students at Northeastern University represent 86% of the students in the class of 2015, and 85.77% of Northeastern bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time students in the Northeastern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Northeastern graduation rate was 87%, and by the eight year mark, 88% 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 | Northeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 87% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 88% | 47.82% |
434 first-time / full-time students or 12% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
288 transferred to another institution.
Northeastern lost contact with the remaining 137 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.69% |
| Transferred | 288 | 66.36% |
| Dropped Out | 137 | 31.57% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Northeastern first-time, part-time students.
579 Northeastern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.07% 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 88%, 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 89%.
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 | Northeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 88% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 89% | 55.07% |
65 non first-time / part-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
37 transferred to another institution.
Northeastern lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 37 | 56.92% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 43.08% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Northeastern returning, part-time students.
