by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to UW after their first year? Are UW 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 80% students making it past their freshmen year, UW 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 Wyoming, the average is 65.13%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UW | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Wyoming | 65.13% |
There were approximately 1,771 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
25% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 58% in six years, and 60% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of UW is 58%. 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 UW undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.60 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,122 | 36% |
| Six Years | 1,771 | 58% |
| Eight Years | 89 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,216 | 40% |
Approximately 1216 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1216 students who did not complete their degree?
18 are still enrolled.
936 transferred to another institution.
UW lost contact with the remaining 234 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 18 | 1.5% |
| Transferred | 936 | 77.0% |
| Dropped Out | 234 | 19.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 80% |
| Asian | 52% |
| Black / African-American | 41% |
| Hawaiian | 67% |
| Hispanic | 46% |
| International | 55% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 41% |
| Unknown | 50% |
| White | 63% |
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 UW 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 Wyoming represent 51% of the students in the class of 2015, and 51.27% of UW bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the UW class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UW graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 61% 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 | UW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 58% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 47.82% |
608 first-time / full-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
18 are still enrolled.
557 transferred to another institution.
UW lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 18 | 2.96% |
| Transferred | 557 | 91.61% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 4.77% |
First-time / part-time students at University of Wyoming represent 0.19% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the UW class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
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 | UW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 33% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
4 first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
UW lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
983 UW students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.87% 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 61%, 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 63%.
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 | UW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 61% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 55.07% |
365 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
17 are still enrolled.
220 transferred to another institution.
UW lost contact with the remaining 128 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 17 | 4.66% |
| Transferred | 220 | 60.27% |
| Dropped Out | 128 | 35.07% |
511 UW students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.57% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 51%, 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 53%.
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 | UW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 51% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 37.80% |
239 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
155 transferred to another institution.
UW lost contact with the remaining 77 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 2.93% |
| Transferred | 155 | 64.85% |
| Dropped Out | 77 | 32.22% |
