by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Detroit Mercy? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 86% students making it past their freshmen year, Detroit Mercy 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 Michigan, the average is 70.80%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Detroit Mercy | 86% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Michigan | 70.80% |
There were approximately 638 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 46% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 63% of the students had graduated and after eight years 64% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Detroit Mercy graduation rate 63%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Detroit Mercy? The standard length of time for most students is 4.28 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 516 | 51% |
| Six Years | 638 | 63% |
| Eight Years | 12 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 370 | 36% |
Approximately 370 students or 36% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 370 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
290 transferred to another institution.
Detroit Mercy lost contact with the remaining 74 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 290 | 78.4% |
| Dropped Out | 74 | 20.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 79% |
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| International | 86% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 60% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 77% |
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 Detroit Mercy 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 Detroit Mercy represent 55% of the students in the class of 2015, and 54.55% of Detroit Mercy bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 46%, first-time students in the Detroit Mercy class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Detroit Mercy graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 63% 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 | Detroit Mercy | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 46% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 47.82% |
204 first-time / full-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
175 transferred to another institution.
Detroit Mercy lost contact with the remaining 27 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.49% |
| Transferred | 175 | 85.78% |
| Dropped Out | 27 | 13.24% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Detroit Mercy represent 1.27% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 46%, first-time, part-time students in the Detroit Mercy class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 46%.
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 | Detroit Mercy | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 46% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 23.72% |
7 first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Detroit Mercy lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 14.29% |
| Transferred | 3 | 42.86% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 42.86% |
231 Detroit Mercy students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.65% 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 80%, 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 | Detroit Mercy | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 80% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 80% | 55.07% |
47 non first-time / part-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
37 transferred to another institution.
Detroit Mercy lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 37 | 78.72% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 21.28% |
218 Detroit Mercy students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.37% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 46%, 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 49%.
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 | Detroit Mercy | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 46% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 49% | 37.80% |
112 non first-time / part-time students or 51% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
75 transferred to another institution.
Detroit Mercy lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 2.68% |
| Transferred | 75 | 66.96% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 30.36% |
