by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding SCC 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 62% students making it past their freshmen year, SCC 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 Kentucky, the average is 67.55%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SCC | 62% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Kentucky | 67.55% |
Of the 647 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 25% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 26% of the students had graduated and after eight years 28% 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 SCC graduation rate 26%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 572 | 23% |
| Six Years | 647 | 26% |
| Eight Years | 36 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,791 | 72% |
Approximately 1791 students or 72% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1791 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
355 transferred to another institution.
SCC lost contact with the remaining 1382 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 355 | 19.8% |
| Dropped Out | 1,382 | 77.2% |
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 SCC 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 Somerset Community College represent 56% of the students in the class of 2015, and 61.21% of SCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the SCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SCC graduation rate was 29%, and by the eight year mark, 30% 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 | SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 29% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 47.82% |
965 first-time / full-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
165 transferred to another institution.
SCC lost contact with the remaining 760 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 165 | 17.10% |
| Dropped Out | 760 | 78.76% |
First-time / part-time students at Somerset Community College represent 22.09% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the SCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 14%.
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 | SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 23.72% |
469 first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
57 transferred to another institution.
SCC lost contact with the remaining 401 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 2.35% |
| Transferred | 57 | 12.15% |
| Dropped Out | 401 | 85.50% |
306 SCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.33% 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 38%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.
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 | SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 38% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 55.07% |
183 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
62 transferred to another institution.
SCC lost contact with the remaining 120 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.55% |
| Transferred | 62 | 33.88% |
| Dropped Out | 120 | 65.57% |
237 SCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.55% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 24%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 27%.
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 | SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 24% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 37.80% |
174 non first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
71 transferred to another institution.
SCC lost contact with the remaining 101 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.15% |
| Transferred | 71 | 40.80% |
| Dropped Out | 101 | 58.05% |
