by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many UMass Amherst first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore UMass Amherst retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 89% students making it past their freshmen year, UMass Amherst 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UMass Amherst | 89% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 5,228 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
67% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 77% in six years, and 77% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of UMass Amherst is 77%. 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 typical UMass Amherst student takes 4.11 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4,667 | 68% |
| Six Years | 5,228 | 77% |
| Eight Years | 56 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,536 | 23% |
Approximately 1536 students or 23% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1536 students who did not complete their degree?
8 are still enrolled.
1127 transferred to another institution.
UMass Amherst lost contact with the remaining 392 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 1127 | 73.4% |
| Dropped Out | 392 | 25.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 88% |
| Black / African-American | 76% |
| Hispanic | 71% |
| International | 81% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 81% |
| Unknown | 83% |
| White | 84% |
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 UMass Amherst 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 University of Massachusetts Amherst represent 70% of the students in the class of 2015, and 70.26% of UMass Amherst bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time students in the UMass Amherst class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UMass Amherst graduation rate was 77%, and by the eight year mark, 78% 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 | UMass Amherst | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 67% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 77% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 47.82% |
1037 first-time / full-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
816 transferred to another institution.
UMass Amherst lost contact with the remaining 205 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 0.77% |
| Transferred | 816 | 78.69% |
| Dropped Out | 205 | 19.77% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Massachusetts Amherst represent 0.13% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the UMass Amherst class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
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 | UMass Amherst | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
8 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
UMass Amherst lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 87.50% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 12.50% |
1645 UMass Amherst students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.05% 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 79%, 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 | UMass Amherst | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 79% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 80% | 55.07% |
333 non first-time / part-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
231 transferred to another institution.
UMass Amherst lost contact with the remaining 101 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.30% |
| Transferred | 231 | 69.37% |
| Dropped Out | 101 | 30.33% |
421 UMass Amherst students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.15% 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 62%.
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 | UMass Amherst | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 62% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 37.80% |
158 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
73 transferred to another institution.
UMass Amherst lost contact with the remaining 85 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 73 | 46.20% |
| Dropped Out | 85 | 53.80% |
