by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UIC 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 82% students making it past their freshmen year, UIC 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UIC | 82% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
Of the 3,541 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 30% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 65% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 UIC graduation rate 65%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at UIC? The standard length of time for most students is 4.51 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,606 | 48% |
| Six Years | 3,541 | 65% |
| Eight Years | 87 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,845 | 34% |
Approximately 1845 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1845 students who did not complete their degree?
22 are still enrolled.
1438 transferred to another institution.
UIC lost contact with the remaining 385 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 22 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 1438 | 77.9% |
| Dropped Out | 385 | 20.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 72% |
| Black / African-American | 54% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 57% |
| International | 56% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 59% |
| Unknown | 73% |
| White | 66% |
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 UIC 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 Illinois at Chicago represent 57% of the students in the class of 2015, and 49.48% of UIC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 30%, first-time students in the UIC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UIC graduation rate was 57%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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 | UIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 30% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 57% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 47.82% |
1274 first-time / full-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
22 are still enrolled.
1032 transferred to another institution.
UIC lost contact with the remaining 225 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 22 | 1.73% |
| Transferred | 1032 | 81.00% |
| Dropped Out | 225 | 17.66% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Illinois at Chicago represent 0.35% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time, part-time students in the UIC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 32%.
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 | UIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 26% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 23.72% |
13 first-time / part-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
UIC lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 11 | 84.62% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 15.38% |
2042 UIC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.25% 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 78%, 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 78%.
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 | UIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 78% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 55.07% |
441 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
311 transferred to another institution.
UIC lost contact with the remaining 126 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.91% |
| Transferred | 311 | 70.52% |
| Dropped Out | 126 | 28.57% |
320 UIC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.84% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 62%, 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 63%.
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 | UIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 62% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 37.80% |
117 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
84 transferred to another institution.
UIC lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.85% |
| Transferred | 84 | 71.79% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 27.35% |
