by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Southeastern first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Southeastern retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
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, Southeastern 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 Louisiana, the average is 67.86%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southeastern | 72% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Louisiana | 67.86% |
Of the 1,476 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 17% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 40% of the students had graduated and after eight years 43% 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 Southeastern graduation rate 40%.
The average Southeastern student takes 4.64 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 794 | 22% |
| Six Years | 1,476 | 40% |
| Eight Years | 104 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,105 | 57% |
Approximately 2105 students or 57% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2105 students who did not complete their degree?
33 are still enrolled.
1312 transferred to another institution.
Southeastern lost contact with the remaining 732 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 33 | 1.6% |
| Transferred | 1312 | 62.3% |
| Dropped Out | 732 | 34.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 57% |
| Asian | 47% |
| Black / African-American | 27% |
| Hispanic | 39% |
| International | 85% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 44% |
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 Southeastern 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 Southeastern Louisiana University represent 65% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.31% of Southeastern bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the Southeastern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southeastern graduation rate was 40%, 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 | Southeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 40% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 47.82% |
1361 first-time / full-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
33 are still enrolled.
826 transferred to another institution.
Southeastern lost contact with the remaining 493 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 33 | 2.42% |
| Transferred | 826 | 60.69% |
| Dropped Out | 493 | 36.22% |
First-time / part-time students at Southeastern Louisiana University represent 4.77% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time, part-time students in the Southeastern class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 10%.
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 | Southeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 9% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 23.72% |
158 first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
119 transferred to another institution.
Southeastern lost contact with the remaining 35 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.53% |
| Transferred | 119 | 75.32% |
| Dropped Out | 35 | 22.15% |
837 Southeastern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.66% 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 49%, 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 51%.
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 | Southeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 49% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 51% | 55.07% |
410 non first-time / part-time students or 49% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
272 transferred to another institution.
Southeastern lost contact with the remaining 129 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.20% |
| Transferred | 272 | 66.34% |
| Dropped Out | 129 | 31.46% |
264 Southeastern students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 7.15% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 32%, 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 33%.
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 | Southeastern | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 32% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 37.80% |
176 non first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
95 transferred to another institution.
Southeastern lost contact with the remaining 75 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 3.41% |
| Transferred | 95 | 53.98% |
| Dropped Out | 75 | 42.61% |
