by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Southern State Community 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 49% students making it past their freshmen year, Southern State Community 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 Ohio, the average is 69.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southern State Community College | 49% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Ohio | 69.84% |
There were approximately 271 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 19% of the students had graduated and after eight years 20% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Southern State Community College is 19%. 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 | 237 | 17% |
| Six Years | 271 | 19% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,116 | 80% |
Approximately 1116 students or 80% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1116 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
435 transferred to another institution.
Southern State Community College lost contact with the remaining 665 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 435 | 39.0% |
| Dropped Out | 665 | 59.6% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 Southern State Community College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Southern State Community College represent 51% of the students in the class of 2015, and 55.72% of Southern State Community College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the Southern State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southern State Community College graduation rate was 21%, and by the eight year mark, 22% 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 | Southern State Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 21% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 47.82% |
553 first-time / full-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
185 transferred to another institution.
Southern State Community College lost contact with the remaining 358 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 185 | 33.45% |
| Dropped Out | 358 | 64.74% |
First-time / part-time students at Southern State Community College represent 21.32% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the Southern State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 12%.
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 | Southern State Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 12% | 23.72% |
262 first-time / part-time students or 88% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Southern State Community College lost contact with the remaining 183 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.76% |
| Transferred | 77 | 29.39% |
| Dropped Out | 183 | 69.85% |
213 Southern State Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.24% 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 31%, 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 31%.
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 | Southern State Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 31% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 55.07% |
147 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Southern State Community College lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.36% |
| Transferred | 77 | 52.38% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 46.26% |
175 Southern State Community College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.52% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 12%, 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 12%.
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 | Southern State Community College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 12% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 12% | 37.80% |
154 non first-time / part-time students or 88% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
96 transferred to another institution.
Southern State Community College lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.30% |
| Transferred | 96 | 62.34% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 36.36% |
