by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Vanderbilt? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 96% students making it past their freshmen year, Vanderbilt 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | 96% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
How many of the estimated 1,649 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 86% of the cohort graduated. After six years 92% had completed their degree, and 92% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of Vanderbilt is 92%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Vanderbilt? The standard length of time for most students is 4.06 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,555 | 86% |
| Six Years | 1,649 | 92% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 148 | 8% |
Approximately 148 students or 8% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 148 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
Vanderbilt lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 116 | 78.4% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 19.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 95% |
| Black / African-American | 86% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 91% |
| International | 89% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 90% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 94% |
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 Vanderbilt 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 Vanderbilt University represent 89% of the students in the class of 2015, and 88.78% of Vanderbilt bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 86%, first-time students in the Vanderbilt class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Vanderbilt graduation rate was 92%, and by the eight year mark, 92% 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 | Vanderbilt | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 86% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 92% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 92% | 47.82% |
131 first-time / full-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
107 transferred to another institution.
Vanderbilt lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.76% |
| Transferred | 107 | 81.68% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 16.79% |
First-time / part-time students at Vanderbilt University represent 0.06% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Vanderbilt | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Vanderbilt 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 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
201 Vanderbilt students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.14% 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 92%, 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 92%.
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 | Vanderbilt | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 92% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 92% | 55.07% |
16 non first-time / part-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
Vanderbilt lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 6.25% |
| Transferred | 9 | 56.25% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 37.50% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Vanderbilt returning, part-time students.
