Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how UCSD's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at UCSD . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at UCSD
- Graduation Rates at University of California - San Diego
UCSD Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 94.0% of students staying on for a second year, University of California - San Diego is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in California , the average is 74.0% .
UCSD Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 86.7% of UCSD Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At UCSD , there were 6,252 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2016 . By 2018 , six years after beginning their degree, 86.7% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 88.6% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 11.4% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 711 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and UCSD lost contact with the remaining 707 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 UCSD Represent 55.1% of the Class of 2016 and 54.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 55.0% , first-time students in the UCSD class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 84.6% and by 2020 ,87.1% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
The Graduation Rate at UCSD is About What we had Anticipated
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to UCSD , we expected that after six years about 83.9% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at UCSD
12.9% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 446 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and UCSD lost contact with the remaining 443 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at UCSD Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2016 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 0.0% , first-time students in the UCSD class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 0.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at UCSD
100.0% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 1 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and UCSD lost contact with the remaining 1 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at UCSD Represent 43.7% of the Class of 2016 and 44.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 89.7% , returning students in the UCSD class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 90.9% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at UCSD
9.1% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 249 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and UCSD lost contact with the remaining 249 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at UCSD Represent 1.2% of the Class of 2016 and 1.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 79.7% , returning students in the UCSD class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 81.1% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at UCSD
18.9% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 14 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and UCSD lost contact with the remaining 14 whom we assume dropped out.
