by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many NWCC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore NWCC 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 65% students making it past their freshmen year, NWCC 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 Mississippi, the average is 70.78%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NWCC | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Mississippi | 70.78% |
Of the 962 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 25% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 22% of the students had graduated and after eight years 24% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of NWCC is 22%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 828 | 19% |
| Six Years | 962 | 22% |
| Eight Years | 60 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 3,262 | 76% |
Approximately 3262 students or 76% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 3262 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1774 transferred to another institution.
NWCC lost contact with the remaining 1464 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1774 | 54.4% |
| Dropped Out | 1,464 | 44.9% |
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 NWCC 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 Northwest Mississippi Community College represent 43% of the students in the class of 2015, and 54.89% of NWCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the NWCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the NWCC graduation rate was 28%, and by the eight year mark, 30% 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 | NWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 28% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 47.82% |
1299 first-time / full-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
593 transferred to another institution.
NWCC lost contact with the remaining 696 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 593 | 45.65% |
| Dropped Out | 696 | 53.58% |
First-time / part-time students at Northwest Mississippi Community College represent 6.16% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time, part-time students in the NWCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 13%.
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 | NWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 13% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
230 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
98 transferred to another institution.
NWCC lost contact with the remaining 131 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.43% |
| Transferred | 98 | 42.61% |
| Dropped Out | 131 | 56.96% |
1339 NWCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.26% 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 25%, 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 26%.
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 | NWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 25% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 55.07% |
986 non first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
583 transferred to another institution.
NWCC lost contact with the remaining 394 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 0.91% |
| Transferred | 583 | 59.13% |
| Dropped Out | 394 | 39.96% |
819 NWCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.12% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 8%, 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 9%.
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 | NWCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 8% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 9% | 37.80% |
747 non first-time / part-time students or 91% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
500 transferred to another institution.
NWCC lost contact with the remaining 243 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.54% |
| Transferred | 500 | 66.93% |
| Dropped Out | 243 | 32.53% |
