by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to SVU after their first year? Are SVU students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, SVU 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 Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SVU | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
Of the 129 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
15% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 37% in six years, and 40% in eight years.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical SVU graduation rate 37%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at SVU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.50 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85 | 24% |
| Six Years | 129 | 37% |
| Eight Years | 9 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 211 | 60% |
Approximately 211 students or 60% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 211 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
92 transferred to another institution.
SVU lost contact with the remaining 117 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 92 | 43.6% |
| Dropped Out | 117 | 55.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 33% |
| Black / African-American | 43% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 90% |
| 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 SVU 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 Southern Virginia University represent 74% of the students in the class of 2015, and 58.14% of SVU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time students in the SVU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SVU graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 34% 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 | SVU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 31% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 47.82% |
161 first-time / full-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
62 transferred to another institution.
SVU lost contact with the remaining 99 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.62% |
| Transferred | 62 | 38.51% |
| Dropped Out | 99 | 61.49% |
First-time / part-time students at Southern Virginia University represent 1.69% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | SVU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
7 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
SVU lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 14.29% |
| Transferred | 3 | 42.86% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 42.86% |
98 SVU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.61% 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 57%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 57%.
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 | SVU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 57% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 55.07% |
40 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
27 transferred to another institution.
SVU lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 27 | 67.50% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 32.50% |
3 SVU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.72% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, 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 0%.
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.
3 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
SVU lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 33.33% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 66.67% |
