by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many UofSC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore UofSC 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 90% students making it past their freshmen year, UofSC 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UofSC | 90% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
Of the 5,450 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 58% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 71% of the students had graduated and after eight years 72% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of UofSC is 71%. 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 average length of time it takes an UofSC undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.18 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4,407 | 57% |
| Six Years | 5,450 | 71% |
| Eight Years | 75 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,170 | 28% |
Approximately 2170 students or 28% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2170 students who did not complete their degree?
9 are still enrolled.
1522 transferred to another institution.
UofSC lost contact with the remaining 620 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 1522 | 70.1% |
| Dropped Out | 620 | 28.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 60% |
| Asian | 84% |
| Black / African-American | 73% |
| Hawaiian | 60% |
| Hispanic | 75% |
| International | 72% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 71% |
| Unknown | 73% |
| White | 79% |
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 UofSC 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 South Carolina - Columbia represent 60% of the students in the class of 2015, and 63.98% of UofSC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 58%, first-time students in the UofSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UofSC graduation rate was 75%, and by the eight year mark, 77% 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 | UofSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 58% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 75% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 77% | 47.82% |
1078 first-time / full-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
898 transferred to another institution.
UofSC lost contact with the remaining 164 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 0.83% |
| Transferred | 898 | 83.30% |
| Dropped Out | 164 | 15.21% |
First-time / part-time students at University of South Carolina - Columbia represent 1.77% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the UofSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.
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 | UofSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 7% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 23.72% |
111 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
UofSC lost contact with the remaining 77 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.90% |
| Transferred | 33 | 29.73% |
| Dropped Out | 77 | 69.37% |
2445 UofSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.75% 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 72%, 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 72%.
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 | UofSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 72% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 55.07% |
681 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
422 transferred to another institution.
UofSC lost contact with the remaining 254 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 0.73% |
| Transferred | 422 | 61.97% |
| Dropped Out | 254 | 37.30% |
492 UofSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.39% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 38%, 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 39%.
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 | UofSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 38% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 37.80% |
300 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
169 transferred to another institution.
UofSC lost contact with the remaining 125 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.00% |
| Transferred | 169 | 56.33% |
| Dropped Out | 125 | 41.67% |
