by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at TLU? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, TLU 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 Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| TLU | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
There were approximately 262 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
35% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 53% in six years, and 54% in eight years.
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 TLU graduation rate 53%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at TLU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.34 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 188 | 38% |
| Six Years | 262 | 53% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 229 | 46% |
Approximately 229 students or 46% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 229 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
181 transferred to another institution.
TLU lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 181 | 79.0% |
| Dropped Out | 47 | 20.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 54% |
| Hispanic | 53% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 38% |
| Unknown | 58% |
| White | 58% |
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 TLU 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 Texas Lutheran University represent 82% of the students in the class of 2015, and 79.77% of TLU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the TLU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the TLU graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | TLU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 52% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
193 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
149 transferred to another institution.
TLU lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.52% |
| Transferred | 149 | 77.20% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 22.28% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on TLU first-time, part-time students.
83 TLU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.80% 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 60%, 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 61%.
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 | TLU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 55.07% |
32 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
28 transferred to another institution.
TLU lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 28 | 87.50% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 12.50% |
7 TLU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.42% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 43%, 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 43%.
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 | TLU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 43% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 37.80% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
TLU lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
