by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Southeast Tech? 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 72% students making it past their freshmen year, Southeast Tech 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 South Dakota, the average is 75.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southeast Tech | 72% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Dakota | 75.05% |
How many of the estimated 687 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 41% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 47% of the students had graduated and after eight years 47% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Southeast Tech is 47%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 652 | 45% |
| Six Years | 687 | 47% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 765 | 53% |
Approximately 765 students or 53% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 765 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
251 transferred to another institution.
Southeast Tech lost contact with the remaining 498 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 251 | 32.8% |
| Dropped Out | 498 | 65.1% |
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 Southeast Tech 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 Southeast Technical College represent 47% of the students in the class of 2015, and 42.65% of Southeast Tech bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 41%, first-time students in the Southeast Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southeast Tech graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 44% 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 | Southeast Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 43% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 47.82% |
379 first-time / full-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
115 transferred to another institution.
Southeast Tech lost contact with the remaining 258 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 115 | 30.34% |
| Dropped Out | 258 | 68.07% |
First-time / part-time students at Southeast Technical College represent 6.80% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time, part-time students in the Southeast Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 36%.
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 | Southeast Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 33% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 35% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 23.72% |
64 first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
Southeast Tech lost contact with the remaining 50 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 4.69% |
| Transferred | 11 | 17.19% |
| Dropped Out | 50 | 78.13% |
547 Southeast Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.21% 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 52%, 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 52%.
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 | Southeast Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
261 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
100 transferred to another institution.
Southeast Tech lost contact with the remaining 155 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.30% |
| Transferred | 100 | 38.31% |
| Dropped Out | 155 | 59.39% |
138 Southeast Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.39% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 55%, 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 55%.
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 | Southeast Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 55% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 37.80% |
61 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
25 transferred to another institution.
Southeast Tech lost contact with the remaining 35 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.64% |
| Transferred | 25 | 40.98% |
| Dropped Out | 35 | 57.38% |
