by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to SUNY Potsdam after their first year? Are SUNY Potsdam students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, SUNY Potsdam 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 | |
|---|---|
| SUNY Potsdam | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 708 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 34% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 54% of the students had graduated and after eight years 54% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of SUNY Potsdam is 54%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at SUNY Potsdam? The standard length of time for most students is 4.31 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 524 | 40% |
| Six Years | 708 | 54% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 605 | 46% |
Approximately 605 students or 46% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 605 students who did not complete their degree?
6 are still enrolled.
441 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Potsdam lost contact with the remaining 160 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.0% |
| Transferred | 441 | 72.9% |
| Dropped Out | 160 | 26.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 40% |
| Asian | 52% |
| Black / African-American | 40% |
| Hispanic | 44% |
| International | 57% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 38% |
| Unknown | 57% |
| White | 54% |
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 SUNY Potsdam 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 SUNY Potsdam represent 68% of the students in the class of 2015, and 66.95% of SUNY Potsdam bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 34%, first-time students in the SUNY Potsdam class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the SUNY Potsdam graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 53% 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 | SUNY Potsdam | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 34% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 52% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 47.82% |
424 first-time / full-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
322 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Potsdam lost contact with the remaining 100 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.42% |
| Transferred | 322 | 75.94% |
| Dropped Out | 100 | 23.58% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on SUNY Potsdam first-time, part-time students.
405 SUNY Potsdam students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 30.59% 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 57%, 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 57%.
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 | SUNY Potsdam | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 57% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 55.07% |
172 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
113 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Potsdam lost contact with the remaining 57 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.16% |
| Transferred | 113 | 65.70% |
| Dropped Out | 57 | 33.14% |
13 SUNY Potsdam students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.98% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 31%, 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 31%.
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 | SUNY Potsdam | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 31% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 37.80% |
9 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
SUNY Potsdam lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 33.33% |
