by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at St. Olaf? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 91% students making it past their freshmen year, St. Olaf 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 Minnesota, the average is 67.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| St. Olaf | 91% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Minnesota | 67.05% |
There were approximately 686 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
After four years 85% of the cohort graduated. After six years 88% had completed their degree, and 88% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of St. Olaf is 88%. 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 typical St. Olaf student takes 4.07 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 660 | 85% |
| Six Years | 686 | 88% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 93 | 12% |
Approximately 93 students or 12% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 93 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
74 transferred to another institution.
St. Olaf lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.1% |
| Transferred | 74 | 79.6% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 20.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 87% |
| Black / African-American | 79% |
| Hispanic | 77% |
| International | 86% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 82% |
| White | 85% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 St. Olaf are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at St Olaf College represent 95% of the students in the class of 2015, and 94.90% of St. Olaf bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 85%, first-time students in the St. Olaf class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the St. Olaf graduation rate was 88%, and by the eight year mark, 88% 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 | St. Olaf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 85% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 88% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 88% | 47.82% |
86 first-time / full-time students or 12% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
70 transferred to another institution.
St. Olaf lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.16% |
| Transferred | 70 | 81.40% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 18.60% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on St. Olaf first-time, part-time students.
42 St. Olaf students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.38% 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 83%, 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 83%.
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 | St. Olaf | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 83% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 83% | 55.07% |
7 non first-time / part-time students or 17% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
St. Olaf lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 57.14% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 42.86% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on St. Olaf returning, part-time students.
