by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to RMU after their first year? Are RMU students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 81% students making it past their freshmen year, RMU 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| RMU | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 766 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 46% of the cohort graduated. After six years 56% had completed their degree, and 57% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of RMU is 56%. 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.
The typical RMU student takes 4.22 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 629 | 46% |
| Six Years | 766 | 56% |
| Eight Years | 11 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 580 | 43% |
Approximately 580 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 580 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
264 transferred to another institution.
RMU lost contact with the remaining 316 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 264 | 45.5% |
| Dropped Out | 316 | 54.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 33% |
| Black / African-American | 34% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 100% |
| International | 77% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 55% |
| Unknown | 71% |
| White | 73% |
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 RMU 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 Robert Morris University represent 60% of the students in the class of 2015, and 63.32% of RMU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 46%, first-time students in the RMU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the RMU graduation rate was 60%, and by the eight year mark, 61% 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 | RMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 46% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 60% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 47.82% |
321 first-time / full-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
142 transferred to another institution.
RMU lost contact with the remaining 179 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 142 | 44.24% |
| Dropped Out | 179 | 55.76% |
First-time / part-time students at Robert Morris University represent 0.52% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the RMU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 14%.
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 | RMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 23.72% |
6 first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
RMU lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 66.67% |
400 RMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 29.48% 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 62%, 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 62%.
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 | RMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 62% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
151 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
70 transferred to another institution.
RMU lost contact with the remaining 81 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 70 | 46.36% |
| Dropped Out | 81 | 53.64% |
136 RMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.02% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 24%, 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 25%.
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 | RMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 24% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 25% | 37.80% |
102 non first-time / part-time students or 75% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
50 transferred to another institution.
RMU lost contact with the remaining 52 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 50 | 49.02% |
| Dropped Out | 52 | 50.98% |
