by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding UNLV 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, UNLV 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 Nevada, the average is 73.68%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UNLV | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Nevada | 73.68% |
Of the 3,123 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 13% of the cohort graduated. After six years 48% had completed their degree, and 53% after eight years.
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 UNLV graduation rate 48%.
The typical UNLV student takes 4.82 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,980 | 31% |
| Six Years | 3,123 | 48% |
| Eight Years | 287 | 5% |
| Did Not Complete | 3,070 | 47% |
Approximately 3070 students or 47% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 3070 students who did not complete their degree?
114 are still enrolled.
1457 transferred to another institution.
UNLV lost contact with the remaining 1385 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 114 | 3.7% |
| Transferred | 1457 | 47.5% |
| Dropped Out | 1,385 | 45.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 13% |
| Asian | 58% |
| Black / African-American | 36% |
| Hawaiian | 31% |
| Hispanic | 39% |
| International | 68% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 40% |
| Unknown | 48% |
| White | 44% |
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 UNLV 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 Nevada - Las Vegas represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 37.37% of UNLV bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time students in the UNLV class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UNLV graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | UNLV | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 41% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
1474 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
114 are still enrolled.
740 transferred to another institution.
UNLV lost contact with the remaining 600 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 114 | 7.73% |
| Transferred | 740 | 50.20% |
| Dropped Out | 600 | 40.71% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Nevada - Las Vegas represent 3.10% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time, part-time students in the UNLV 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 | UNLV | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 16% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
152 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
15 are still enrolled.
72 transferred to another institution.
UNLV lost contact with the remaining 65 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 15 | 9.87% |
| Transferred | 72 | 47.37% |
| Dropped Out | 65 | 42.76% |
2010 UNLV students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 30.97% 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 65%, 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 67%.
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 | UNLV | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
660 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
34 are still enrolled.
285 transferred to another institution.
UNLV lost contact with the remaining 341 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 34 | 5.15% |
| Transferred | 285 | 43.18% |
| Dropped Out | 341 | 51.67% |
1440 UNLV students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 22.19% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 43%, 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 46%.
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 | UNLV | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 43% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 46% | 37.80% |
784 non first-time / part-time students or 54% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
45 are still enrolled.
360 transferred to another institution.
UNLV lost contact with the remaining 379 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 45 | 5.74% |
| Transferred | 360 | 45.92% |
| Dropped Out | 379 | 48.34% |
