by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UAFS retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 74% students making it past their freshmen year, UAFS 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 Arkansas, the average is 66.23%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UAFS | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Arkansas | 66.23% |
There were approximately 716 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
17% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 32% in six years, and 36% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of UAFS is 32%. 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 UAFS student takes 4.56 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 458 | 21% |
| Six Years | 716 | 32% |
| Eight Years | 86 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,420 | 64% |
Approximately 1420 students or 64% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1420 students who did not complete their degree?
16 are still enrolled.
408 transferred to another institution.
UAFS lost contact with the remaining 1011 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 1.1% |
| Transferred | 408 | 28.7% |
| Dropped Out | 1,011 | 71.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 28% |
| Asian | 40% |
| Black / African-American | 21% |
| Hispanic | 34% |
| International | 40% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 19% |
| White | 31% |
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 UAFS 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 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith represent 65% of the students in the class of 2015, and 60.06% of UAFS bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the UAFS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UAFS graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 34% 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 | UAFS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 30% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 47.82% |
959 first-time / full-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
16 are still enrolled.
205 transferred to another institution.
UAFS lost contact with the remaining 754 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 1.67% |
| Transferred | 205 | 21.38% |
| Dropped Out | 754 | 78.62% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith represent 7.71% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time, part-time students in the UAFS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 24%.
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 | UAFS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 19% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
130 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
31 transferred to another institution.
UAFS lost contact with the remaining 98 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.77% |
| Transferred | 31 | 23.85% |
| Dropped Out | 98 | 75.38% |
429 UAFS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.23% 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 44%, 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 47%.
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 | UAFS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 44% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 55.07% |
227 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
120 transferred to another institution.
UAFS lost contact with the remaining 107 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 120 | 52.86% |
| Dropped Out | 107 | 47.14% |
180 UAFS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.07% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 37%, 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 42%.
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 | UAFS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 37% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 37.80% |
104 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
52 transferred to another institution.
UAFS lost contact with the remaining 52 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 52 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 52 | 50.00% |
