by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Sarah Lawrence after their first year? Are Sarah Lawrence students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
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, Sarah Lawrence 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Sarah Lawrence | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 326 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 74% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 79% of the students had graduated and after eight years 80% 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 Sarah Lawrence graduation rate 79%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Sarah Lawrence? The standard length of time for most students is 4.15 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 304 | 74% |
| Six Years | 326 | 79% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 82 | 20% |
Approximately 82 students or 20% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 82 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
Sarah Lawrence lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 48 | 58.5% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 41.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 69% |
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 65% |
| International | 80% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 74% |
| Unknown | 70% |
| White | 74% |
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 Sarah Lawrence 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 Sarah Lawrence College represent 91% of the students in the class of 2015, and 91.10% of Sarah Lawrence bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 74%, first-time students in the Sarah Lawrence class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Sarah Lawrence graduation rate was 79%, and by the eight year mark, 81% 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 | Sarah Lawrence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 74% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 79% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 47.82% |
72 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
Sarah Lawrence lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.39% |
| Transferred | 48 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 33.33% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Sarah Lawrence first-time, part-time students.
39 Sarah Lawrence students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.44% 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 74%, 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 74%.
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 | Sarah Lawrence | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 74% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 55.07% |
10 non first-time / part-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Sarah Lawrence lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Sarah Lawrence returning, part-time students.
