by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to USC Union after their first year? Are USC Union students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 51% students making it past their freshmen year, USC Union has freshmen retention rates similar to 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 | |
|---|---|
| USC Union | 51% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
How many of the estimated 43 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 26% of the students had graduated and after eight years 27% 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 USC Union graduation rate 26%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 38 | 23% |
| Six Years | 43 | 26% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 121 | 73% |
Approximately 121 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 121 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
62 transferred to another institution.
USC Union lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 62 | 51.2% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 48.8% |
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 USC Union 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 South Carolina - Union represent 59% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.12% of USC Union bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the USC Union class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the USC Union graduation rate was 29%, and by the eight year mark, 29% 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 | USC Union | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 29% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 47.82% |
70 first-time / full-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
35 transferred to another institution.
USC Union lost contact with the remaining 35 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 35 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 35 | 50.00% |
First-time / part-time students at University of South Carolina - Union represent 18.18% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the USC Union class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
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 | USC Union | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
24 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
USC Union lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 9 | 37.50% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 62.50% |
30 USC Union students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 18.18% 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 27%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 30%.
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 | USC Union | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 27% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 55.07% |
21 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
USC Union lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 13 | 61.90% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 38.10% |
7 USC Union students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.24% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 14%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 14%.
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 | USC Union | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 14% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 37.80% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
USC Union lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 83.33% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 16.67% |
