by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Northwest? 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 76% students making it past their freshmen year, Northwest 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 Missouri, the average is 69.43%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Northwest | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Missouri | 69.43% |
Of the 1,069 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
28% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 50% in six years, and 51% in eight years.
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 Northwest graduation rate 50%.
The typical Northwest student takes 4.41 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 697 | 33% |
| Six Years | 1,069 | 50% |
| Eight Years | 20 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,043 | 49% |
Approximately 1043 students or 49% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1043 students who did not complete their degree?
6 are still enrolled.
737 transferred to another institution.
Northwest lost contact with the remaining 294 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 0.6% |
| Transferred | 737 | 70.7% |
| Dropped Out | 294 | 28.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 60% |
| Asian | 56% |
| Black / African-American | 29% |
| Hispanic | 47% |
| International | 47% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 46% |
| Unknown | 75% |
| White | 58% |
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 Northwest 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 Missouri State University represent 76% of the students in the class of 2015, and 73.90% of Northwest bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time students in the Northwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Northwest graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 50% 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 | Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 49% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 47.82% |
807 first-time / full-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
591 transferred to another institution.
Northwest lost contact with the remaining 207 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 0.74% |
| Transferred | 591 | 73.23% |
| Dropped Out | 207 | 25.65% |
First-time / part-time students at Northwest Missouri State University represent 0.80% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time, part-time students in the Northwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 12%.
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 | Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 6% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 12% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 12% | 23.72% |
15 first-time / part-time students or 88% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
Northwest lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 46.67% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 53.33% |
451 Northwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.12% 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 58%, 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 58%.
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 | Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 58% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 55.07% |
187 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
118 transferred to another institution.
Northwest lost contact with the remaining 66 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.60% |
| Transferred | 118 | 63.10% |
| Dropped Out | 66 | 35.29% |
51 Northwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.39% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 31%, 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 33%.
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 | Northwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 31% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 37.80% |
34 non first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
Northwest lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 21 | 61.76% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 38.24% |
