by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many SWU first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore SWU 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 74% students making it past their freshmen year, SWU 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 Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SWU | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
There were approximately 171 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 28% of the cohort graduated. After six years 48% had completed their degree, and 51% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of SWU is 48%. 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.
The average SWU student takes 4.22 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 137 | 39% |
| Six Years | 171 | 48% |
| Eight Years | 11 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 173 | 49% |
Approximately 173 students or 49% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 173 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
89 transferred to another institution.
SWU lost contact with the remaining 83 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 89 | 51.4% |
| Dropped Out | 83 | 48.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 37% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 67% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 61% |
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 SWU 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 Wesleyan University represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 36.26% of SWU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time students in the SWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SWU graduation rate was 39%, and by the eight year mark, 42% 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 | SWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 39% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 47.82% |
91 first-time / full-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
57 transferred to another institution.
SWU lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 57 | 62.64% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 36.26% |
First-time / part-time students at Southern Wesleyan University represent 0.56% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | SWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
SWU lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
186 SWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 52.39% 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 58%, 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 62%.
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 | SWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 58% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
71 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
SWU lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 24 | 33.80% |
| Dropped Out | 47 | 66.20% |
10 SWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.82% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 10%, 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 10%.
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 | SWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 10% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 37.80% |
9 non first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
SWU lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 77.78% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 22.22% |
