by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Southwest first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Southwest retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 54% students making it past their freshmen year, Southwest 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 54% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
Of the 737 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
9% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 11% in six years, and 12% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Southwest is 11%. 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 | 557 | 8% |
| Six Years | 737 | 11% |
| Eight Years | 86 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 6,166 | 88% |
Approximately 6166 students or 88% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 6166 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
951 transferred to another institution.
Southwest lost contact with the remaining 5085 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 951 | 15.4% |
| Dropped Out | 5,085 | 82.5% |
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 Southwest 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 Southwest Tennessee Community College represent 39% of the students in the class of 2015, and 43.42% of Southwest bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 9%, first-time students in the Southwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southwest graduation rate was 12%, and by the eight year mark, 13% 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 | Southwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 12% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 47.82% |
2353 first-time / full-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
237 transferred to another institution.
Southwest lost contact with the remaining 2066 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 237 | 10.07% |
| Dropped Out | 2,066 | 87.80% |
First-time / part-time students at Southwest Tennessee Community College represent 29.47% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 6%, first-time, part-time students in the Southwest class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 8%.
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 | Southwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 6% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 8% | 23.72% |
1904 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
52 are still enrolled.
146 transferred to another institution.
Southwest lost contact with the remaining 1706 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 52 | 2.73% |
| Transferred | 146 | 7.67% |
| Dropped Out | 1,706 | 89.60% |
857 Southwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.26% 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 18%, 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 19%.
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 | Southwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 18% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 55.07% |
695 non first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
194 transferred to another institution.
Southwest lost contact with the remaining 492 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 1.29% |
| Transferred | 194 | 27.91% |
| Dropped Out | 492 | 70.79% |
1359 Southwest students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.44% 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 11%.
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 | Southwest | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 10% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 37.80% |
1214 non first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
19 are still enrolled.
374 transferred to another institution.
Southwest lost contact with the remaining 821 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 19 | 1.57% |
| Transferred | 374 | 30.81% |
| Dropped Out | 821 | 67.63% |
