by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Ridgewater College retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 63% students making it past their freshmen year, Ridgewater College 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Ridgewater College | 63% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Minnesota | 67.05% |
Of the 734 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 44% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 45% 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 Ridgewater College graduation rate 44%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 693 | 42% |
| Six Years | 734 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 906 | 55% |
Approximately 906 students or 55% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 906 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
297 transferred to another institution.
Ridgewater College lost contact with the remaining 594 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 297 | 32.8% |
| Dropped Out | 594 | 65.6% |
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 Ridgewater College 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 Ridgewater College represent 51% of the students in the class of 2015, and 53.00% of Ridgewater College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 44%, first-time students in the Ridgewater College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Ridgewater College graduation rate was 46%, and by the eight year mark, 47% 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 | Ridgewater College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 44% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 46% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 47.82% |
445 first-time / full-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
138 transferred to another institution.
Ridgewater College lost contact with the remaining 303 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 138 | 31.01% |
| Dropped Out | 303 | 68.09% |
First-time / part-time students at Ridgewater College represent 13.30% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the Ridgewater College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
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 | Ridgewater College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
172 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
31 transferred to another institution.
Ridgewater College lost contact with the remaining 136 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 2.91% |
| Transferred | 31 | 18.02% |
| Dropped Out | 136 | 79.07% |
408 Ridgewater College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.67% 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 56%, 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 57%.
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 | Ridgewater College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 55.07% |
177 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
81 transferred to another institution.
Ridgewater College lost contact with the remaining 94 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.13% |
| Transferred | 81 | 45.76% |
| Dropped Out | 94 | 53.11% |
186 Ridgewater College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 39%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.
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 | Ridgewater College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 39% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 37.80% |
112 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
Ridgewater College lost contact with the remaining 61 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 3.57% |
| Transferred | 47 | 41.96% |
| Dropped Out | 61 | 54.46% |
