by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at NCC? 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 61% students making it past their freshmen year, NCC 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 Connecticut, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NCC | 61% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Connecticut | 72.64% |
Of the 420 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 17% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 21% of the students had graduated and after eight years 24% 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 NCC graduation rate 21%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 314 | 16% |
| Six Years | 420 | 21% |
| Eight Years | 46 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,488 | 76% |
Approximately 1488 students or 76% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1488 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
582 transferred to another institution.
NCC lost contact with the remaining 805 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 582 | 39.1% |
| Dropped Out | 805 | 54.1% |
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 NCC 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 Norwalk Community College represent 38% of the students in the class of 2015, and 39.29% of NCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the NCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the NCC graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 25% 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 | NCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 22% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 47.82% |
558 first-time / full-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
219 transferred to another institution.
NCC lost contact with the remaining 297 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 219 | 39.25% |
| Dropped Out | 297 | 53.23% |
First-time / part-time students at Norwalk Community College represent 26.92% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the NCC 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 | NCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
422 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
35 are still enrolled.
101 transferred to another institution.
NCC lost contact with the remaining 286 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 35 | 8.29% |
| Transferred | 101 | 23.93% |
| Dropped Out | 286 | 67.77% |
263 NCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.46% 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 28%, 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 28%.
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 | NCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 28% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 55.07% |
189 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
109 transferred to another institution.
NCC lost contact with the remaining 67 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 6.88% |
| Transferred | 109 | 57.67% |
| Dropped Out | 67 | 35.45% |
419 NCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.44% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 21%, 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 24%.
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 | NCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 21% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 37.80% |
319 non first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
153 transferred to another institution.
NCC lost contact with the remaining 155 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 3.45% |
| Transferred | 153 | 47.96% |
| Dropped Out | 155 | 48.59% |
