by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at TMU? 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 79% students making it past their freshmen year, TMU 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| TMU | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
There were approximately 102 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 39% of the students had graduated and after eight years 39% 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 TMU graduation rate 39%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at TMU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.31 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 74 | 28% |
| Six Years | 102 | 39% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 161 | 61% |
Approximately 161 students or 61% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 161 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
105 transferred to another institution.
TMU lost contact with the remaining 54 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.6% |
| Transferred | 105 | 65.2% |
| Dropped Out | 54 | 33.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 26% |
| Hispanic | 11% |
| White | 37% |
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 TMU 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 Truett McConnell University represent 69% of the students in the class of 2015, and 66.67% of TMU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the TMU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the TMU graduation rate was 38%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | TMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 38% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
113 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
73 transferred to another institution.
TMU lost contact with the remaining 40 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.88% |
| Transferred | 73 | 64.60% |
| Dropped Out | 40 | 35.40% |
First-time / part-time students at Truett McConnell University represent 2.28% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the TMU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | TMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 33% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 33% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
4 first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
TMU lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 25.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
72 TMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 27.38% 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 42%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 42%.
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 | TMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 42% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 55.07% |
42 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
27 transferred to another institution.
TMU lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.38% |
| Transferred | 27 | 64.29% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 33.33% |
4 TMU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 1.52% 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 50%.
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 | TMU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
2 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
TMU lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
