by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to UT Chattanooga after their first year? Are UT Chattanooga students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, UT Chattanooga 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UT Chattanooga | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
Of the 1,607 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 22% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 47% of the students had graduated and after eight years 49% of this class completed their degree.
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 UT Chattanooga graduation rate 47%.
The typical UT Chattanooga student takes 4.49 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,015 | 30% |
| Six Years | 1,607 | 47% |
| Eight Years | 66 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,713 | 51% |
Approximately 1713 students or 51% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1713 students who did not complete their degree?
19 are still enrolled.
1095 transferred to another institution.
UT Chattanooga lost contact with the remaining 599 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 19 | 1.1% |
| Transferred | 1095 | 63.9% |
| Dropped Out | 599 | 35.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 60% |
| Asian | 60% |
| Black / African-American | 48% |
| Hispanic | 39% |
| International | 44% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 39% |
| Unknown | 43% |
| White | 51% |
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 UT Chattanooga 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 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga represent 66% of the students in the class of 2015, and 61.73% of UT Chattanooga bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 22%, first-time students in the UT Chattanooga class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UT Chattanooga graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 47% 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 | UT Chattanooga | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 45% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 47.82% |
1185 first-time / full-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
19 are still enrolled.
834 transferred to another institution.
UT Chattanooga lost contact with the remaining 337 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 19 | 1.60% |
| Transferred | 834 | 70.38% |
| Dropped Out | 337 | 28.44% |
First-time / part-time students at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga represent 0.71% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | UT Chattanooga | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
24 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
15 transferred to another institution.
UT Chattanooga lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 15 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 37.50% |
847 UT Chattanooga students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.97% 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 59%, 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 60%.
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 | UT Chattanooga | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 59% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 55.07% |
337 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
176 transferred to another institution.
UT Chattanooga lost contact with the remaining 157 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.19% |
| Transferred | 176 | 52.23% |
| Dropped Out | 157 | 46.59% |
292 UT Chattanooga students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.61% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 41%, 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 | UT Chattanooga | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 41% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 37.80% |
167 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
70 transferred to another institution.
UT Chattanooga lost contact with the remaining 96 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.60% |
| Transferred | 70 | 41.92% |
| Dropped Out | 96 | 57.49% |
