by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Purchase College 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 79% students making it past their freshmen year, Purchase College 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Purchase College | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
How many of the estimated 976 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
56% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 69% in six years, and 70% in eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Purchase College graduation rate 69%.
The average length of time it takes an Purchase College undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.14 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 863 | 61% |
| Six Years | 976 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 12 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 426 | 30% |
Approximately 426 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 426 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
335 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 86 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 335 | 78.6% |
| Dropped Out | 86 | 20.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 63% |
| Black / African-American | 74% |
| Hawaiian | 50% |
| Hispanic | 53% |
| International | 72% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 35% |
| Unknown | 61% |
| White | 64% |
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 Purchase College 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 Purchase College represent 58% of the students in the class of 2015, and 56.76% of Purchase College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 56%, first-time students in the Purchase College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Purchase College graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 68% 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 | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 56% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 47.82% |
267 first-time / full-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
230 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.12% |
| Transferred | 230 | 86.14% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 12.36% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Purchase College first-time, part-time students.
551 Purchase College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 38.97% 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 73%, 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 74%.
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 | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 73% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 55.07% |
142 non first-time / part-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
94 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.70% |
| Transferred | 94 | 66.20% |
| Dropped Out | 47 | 33.10% |
36 Purchase College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.55% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 50%, 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 53%.
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 | Purchase College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 37.80% |
17 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
Purchase College lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 11 | 64.71% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 35.29% |
