by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Rocky? 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.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 64% students making it past their freshmen year, Rocky 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 Montana, the average is 66.19%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Rocky | 64% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Montana | 66.19% |
How many of the estimated 183 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
40% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 54% in six years, and 55% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Rocky is 54%. 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 average length of time it takes an Rocky undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.44 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 143 | 42% |
| Six Years | 183 | 54% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 154 | 45% |
Approximately 154 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 154 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
97 transferred to another institution.
Rocky lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 97 | 63.0% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 36.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 29% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 41% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 20% |
| Unknown | 67% |
| White | 59% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 Rocky are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Rocky Mountain College represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.57% of Rocky bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time students in the Rocky class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Rocky graduation rate was 53%, and by the eight year mark, 54% 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 | Rocky | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 40% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 53% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 54% | 47.82% |
105 first-time / full-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
67 transferred to another institution.
Rocky lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 67 | 63.81% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 35.24% |
First-time / part-time students at Rocky Mountain College represent 0.29% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the Rocky class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
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 | Rocky | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
112 Rocky students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 32.84% 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 55%, 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 56%.
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 | Rocky | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 55% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 55.07% |
49 non first-time / part-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
30 transferred to another institution.
Rocky lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 30 | 61.22% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 38.78% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Rocky returning, part-time students.
