Smith Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Smith College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding Smith 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.

• Smith Retention Rate
• Smith Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• Smith Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

Smith Retention Rate

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, Smith 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.

Smith Graduation Rates

Of the 699 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

Four years after beginning their degree, 82% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 89% of the students had graduated and after eight years 89% 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 Smith graduation rate 89%.

The average length of time it takes an Smith undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.08 years.

Smith Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Smith Drop Out Rate

Approximately 88 students or 11% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 88 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 73 transferred to another institution.

• Smith lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.

Smith Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Smith 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 Smith Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Smith College represent 88% of the students in the class of 2015, and 87.41% of Smith bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 82%, first-time students in the Smith class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Smith graduation rate was 88%, and by the eight year mark, 88% 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.

Smith First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time Smith Drop Out Rates

83 first-time / full-time students or 12% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 69 transferred to another institution.

• Smith lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Smith first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

88 Smith students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.18% 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 94%, 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 94%.

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.

Smith Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time Smith Drop Out Rates

5 non first-time / part-time students or 6% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 4 transferred to another institution.

• Smith lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

5 Smith students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.64% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 100%, 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 100%.

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.

Smith Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• Image Credit: By Redjar under License