by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at South College? 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 60% students making it past their freshmen year, South College 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| South College | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
How many of the estimated 261 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 30% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 34% of the students had graduated and after eight years 34% 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 South College graduation rate 34%.
The typical South College student takes 4.00 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 258 | 34% |
| Six Years | 261 | 34% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 504 | 66% |
Approximately 504 students or 66% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 504 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
183 transferred to another institution.
South College lost contact with the remaining 317 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 183 | 36.3% |
| Dropped Out | 317 | 62.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 17% |
| Hispanic | 17% |
| White | 34% |
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 South College 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 South College represent 50% of the students in the class of 2015, and 45.21% of South College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 30%, first-time students in the South College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the South College graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | South College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 30% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 31% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 47.82% |
265 first-time / full-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
85 transferred to another institution.
South College lost contact with the remaining 180 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 85 | 32.08% |
| Dropped Out | 180 | 67.92% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on South College first-time, part-time students.
386 South College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 50.20% 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 37%, 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 38%.
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 | South College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 37% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 55.07% |
239 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
98 transferred to another institution.
South College lost contact with the remaining 137 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.67% |
| Transferred | 98 | 41.00% |
| Dropped Out | 137 | 57.32% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on South College returning, part-time students.
