by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to TCNJ after their first year? Are TCNJ 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 94% students making it past their freshmen year, TCNJ 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 Jersey, the average is 74.83%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| TCNJ | 94% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New Jersey | 74.83% |
There were approximately 1,519 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 73% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 84% of the students had graduated and after eight years 86% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of TCNJ is 84%. 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 average TCNJ student takes 4.14 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,318 | 73% |
| Six Years | 1,519 | 84% |
| Eight Years | 20 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 260 | 14% |
Approximately 260 students or 14% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 260 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
207 transferred to another institution.
TCNJ lost contact with the remaining 51 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 207 | 79.6% |
| Dropped Out | 51 | 19.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 80% |
| Asian | 85% |
| Black / African-American | 76% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 87% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 83% |
| Unknown | 96% |
| White | 88% |
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 TCNJ 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 The College of New Jersey represent 76% of the students in the class of 2015, and 78.34% of TCNJ bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 73%, first-time students in the TCNJ class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the TCNJ graduation rate was 87%, 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 | TCNJ | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 73% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 87% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 88% | 47.82% |
169 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.
147 transferred to another institution.
TCNJ lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.59% |
| Transferred | 147 | 86.98% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 12.43% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on TCNJ first-time, part-time students.
414 TCNJ students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.01% 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 79%, 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 80%.
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 | TCNJ | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 79% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 80% | 55.07% |
84 non first-time / part-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
54 transferred to another institution.
TCNJ lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.19% |
| Transferred | 54 | 64.29% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 34.52% |
11 TCNJ students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.61% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 27%, 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 36%.
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 | TCNJ | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 27% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
7 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
TCNJ lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 85.71% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 14.29% |
