by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many SMCM first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore SMCM 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 83% students making it past their freshmen year, SMCM 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 Maryland, the average is 71.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| SMCM | 83% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Maryland | 71.84% |
Of the 426 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 69% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 76% of the students had graduated and after eight years 76% 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 SMCM graduation rate 76%.
The typical SMCM student takes 4.13 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 381 | 68% |
| Six Years | 426 | 76% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 136 | 24% |
Approximately 136 students or 24% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 136 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
114 transferred to another institution.
SMCM lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.5% |
| Transferred | 114 | 83.8% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 16.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 79% |
| Black / African-American | 51% |
| Hispanic | 74% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 69% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 75% |
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 SMCM 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 St Mary's College of Maryland represent 80% of the students in the class of 2015, and 82.16% of SMCM bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 69%, first-time students in the SMCM class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SMCM graduation rate was 78%, and by the eight year mark, 78% 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 | SMCM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 69% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 78% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 47.82% |
98 first-time / full-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
83 transferred to another institution.
SMCM lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 2.04% |
| Transferred | 83 | 84.69% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 15.31% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on SMCM first-time, part-time students.
104 SMCM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 18.44% 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 69%, 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 69%.
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 | SMCM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 55.07% |
32 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
26 transferred to another institution.
SMCM lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 26 | 81.25% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 18.75% |
10 SMCM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.77% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 40%, 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 40%.
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 | SMCM | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 40% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 37.80% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
SMCM lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 83.33% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 16.67% |
