by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at RWU? 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.
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, RWU 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 Rhode Island, the average is 78.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| RWU | 81% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Rhode Island | 78.84% |
How many of the estimated 937 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 54% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 59% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical RWU graduation rate 59%.
The average RWU student takes 4.13 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 789 | 50% |
| Six Years | 937 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 639 | 40% |
Approximately 639 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 639 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
460 transferred to another institution.
RWU lost contact with the remaining 169 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 460 | 72.0% |
| Dropped Out | 169 | 26.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 63% |
| Black / African-American | 81% |
| Hispanic | 63% |
| International | 41% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 68% |
| Unknown | 61% |
| White | 70% |
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 RWU 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 Roger Williams University represent 75% of the students in the class of 2015, and 81.54% of RWU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 54%, first-time students in the RWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the RWU graduation rate was 64%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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 | RWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 54% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 64% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 47.82% |
426 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
355 transferred to another institution.
RWU lost contact with the remaining 69 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 355 | 83.33% |
| Dropped Out | 69 | 16.20% |
First-time / part-time students at Roger Williams University represent 0.06% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the RWU 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 | RWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
167 RWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.48% 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 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 | RWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 55.07% |
71 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
RWU lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 43 | 60.56% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 39.44% |
227 RWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 37%.
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 | RWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 37% | 37.80% |
142 non first-time / part-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
62 transferred to another institution.
RWU lost contact with the remaining 72 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 5.63% |
| Transferred | 62 | 43.66% |
| Dropped Out | 72 | 50.70% |
