by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Riverside City 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 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Riverside City 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Riverside City College | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 6,908 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 28% of the students had graduated and after eight years 31% 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 Riverside City College graduation rate 28%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5,812 | 23% |
| Six Years | 6,908 | 28% |
| Eight Years | 671 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 17,238 | 69% |
Approximately 17238 students or 69% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 17238 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
8760 transferred to another institution.
Riverside City College lost contact with the remaining 8112 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 8760 | 50.8% |
| Dropped Out | 8,112 | 47.1% |
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 Riverside City 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 Riverside City College represent 3% of the students in the class of 2015, and 5.02% of Riverside City College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the Riverside City College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Riverside City College graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 43% 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 | Riverside City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 41% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 47.82% |
480 first-time / full-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
204 transferred to another institution.
Riverside City College lost contact with the remaining 268 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 204 | 42.50% |
| Dropped Out | 268 | 55.83% |
First-time / part-time students at Riverside City College represent 12.18% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 22%, first-time, part-time students in the Riverside City College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 26%.
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 | Riverside City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 22% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 23.72% |
2249 first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
58 are still enrolled.
882 transferred to another institution.
Riverside City College lost contact with the remaining 1309 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 58 | 2.58% |
| Transferred | 882 | 39.22% |
| Dropped Out | 1,309 | 58.20% |
4052 Riverside City College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.33% 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 41%, 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 44%.
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 | Riverside City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 55.07% |
2283 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
41 are still enrolled.
1216 transferred to another institution.
Riverside City College lost contact with the remaining 1026 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 41 | 1.80% |
| Transferred | 1216 | 53.26% |
| Dropped Out | 1,026 | 44.94% |
16896 Riverside City College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 68.08% of the students in the class of 2015.
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.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Riverside City College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
12226 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
259 are still enrolled.
6458 transferred to another institution.
Riverside City College lost contact with the remaining 5509 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 259 | 2.12% |
| Transferred | 6458 | 52.82% |
| Dropped Out | 5,509 | 45.06% |
