by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to OCtech after their first year? Are OCtech students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 60% students making it past their freshmen year, OCtech 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| OCtech | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
Of the 264 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, 25% of the students had graduated and after eight years 26% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of OCtech is 25%. 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 | 176 | 17% |
| Six Years | 264 | 25% |
| Eight Years | 9 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 784 | 74% |
Approximately 784 students or 74% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 784 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
349 transferred to another institution.
OCtech lost contact with the remaining 426 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 349 | 44.5% |
| Dropped Out | 426 | 54.3% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 OCtech are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 42.80% of OCtech bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the OCtech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the OCtech graduation rate was 24%, and by the eight year mark, 26% 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 | OCtech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 24% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 47.82% |
346 first-time / full-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
136 transferred to another institution.
OCtech lost contact with the remaining 205 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 136 | 39.31% |
| Dropped Out | 205 | 59.25% |
First-time / part-time students at Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College represent 24.50% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time, part-time students in the OCtech 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 | OCtech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 12% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
225 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
89 transferred to another institution.
OCtech lost contact with the remaining 134 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.89% |
| Transferred | 89 | 39.56% |
| Dropped Out | 134 | 59.56% |
159 OCtech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.04% 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 42%, 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 43%.
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 | OCtech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 42% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
91 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
51 transferred to another institution.
OCtech lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.10% |
| Transferred | 51 | 56.04% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 42.86% |
174 OCtech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.46% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 30%, 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 30%.
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 | OCtech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 30% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 37.80% |
122 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
73 transferred to another institution.
OCtech lost contact with the remaining 48 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.82% |
| Transferred | 73 | 59.84% |
| Dropped Out | 48 | 39.34% |
