by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Southwest Tech retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 68% students making it past their freshmen year, Southwest Tech 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 Wisconsin, the average is 74.47%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Southwest Tech | 68% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Wisconsin | 74.47% |
There were approximately 1,101 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 56% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 64% of the students had graduated and after eight years 65% of this class completed their degree.
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 Southwest Tech graduation rate 64%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,083 | 63% |
| Six Years | 1,101 | 64% |
| Eight Years | 16 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 606 | 35% |
Approximately 606 students or 35% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 606 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
102 transferred to another institution.
Southwest Tech lost contact with the remaining 476 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 102 | 16.8% |
| Dropped Out | 476 | 78.5% |
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 Tech 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 Wisconsin Technical College represent 18% of the students in the class of 2015, and 15.80% of Southwest Tech bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 56%, first-time students in the Southwest Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Southwest Tech graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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 Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 56% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 56% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 47.82% |
128 first-time / full-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Southwest Tech lost contact with the remaining 110 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 13 | 10.16% |
| Dropped Out | 110 | 85.94% |
First-time / part-time students at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College represent 17.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 60%, first-time, part-time students in the Southwest Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 61%.
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 Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 58% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 60% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 23.72% |
116 first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Southwest Tech lost contact with the remaining 97 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.59% |
| Transferred | 16 | 13.79% |
| Dropped Out | 97 | 83.62% |
574 Southwest Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 33.18% 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 75%, 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 76%.
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 Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 75% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 76% | 55.07% |
139 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
38 transferred to another institution.
Southwest Tech lost contact with the remaining 93 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 5.76% |
| Transferred | 38 | 27.34% |
| Dropped Out | 93 | 66.91% |
550 Southwest Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.79% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 59%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 59%.
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 Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 59% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 37.80% |
223 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
12 are still enrolled.
35 transferred to another institution.
Southwest Tech lost contact with the remaining 176 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 5.38% |
| Transferred | 35 | 15.70% |
| Dropped Out | 176 | 78.92% |
