by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding SPU 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, SPU 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 Washington, the average is 73.95%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SPU | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Washington | 73.95% |
Of the 745 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 53% of the cohort graduated. After six years 67% had completed their degree, and 68% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of SPU is 67%. 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 SPU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.25 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 617 | 56% |
| Six Years | 745 | 67% |
| Eight Years | 11 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 354 | 32% |
Approximately 354 students or 32% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 354 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
183 transferred to another institution.
SPU lost contact with the remaining 171 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 183 | 51.7% |
| Dropped Out | 171 | 48.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 66% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hawaiian | 25% |
| Hispanic | 64% |
| International | 58% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 63% |
| White | 68% |
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 SPU 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 Seattle Pacific University represent 71% of the students in the class of 2015, and 70.20% of SPU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 53%, first-time students in the SPU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SPU graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | SPU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 53% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 47.82% |
256 first-time / full-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
149 transferred to another institution.
SPU lost contact with the remaining 107 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 149 | 58.20% |
| Dropped Out | 107 | 41.80% |
First-time / part-time students at Seattle Pacific University represent 0.09% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the SPU 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 | SPU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
278 SPU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.05% 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 71%, 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 72%.
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 | SPU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 71% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 55.07% |
78 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
29 transferred to another institution.
SPU lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 29 | 37.18% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 62.82% |
45 SPU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
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.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 56%.
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 | SPU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 56% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 37.80% |
20 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.
5 transferred to another institution.
SPU lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 75.00% |
