by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many WCTC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore WCTC 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 73% students making it past their freshmen year, WCTC 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 Wisconsin, the average is 74.47%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WCTC | 73% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Wisconsin | 74.47% |
How many of the estimated 459 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 35% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 32% of the students had graduated and after eight years 33% of this class completed their degree.
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 WCTC graduation rate 32%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 384 | 26% |
| Six Years | 459 | 32% |
| Eight Years | 23 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 972 | 67% |
Approximately 972 students or 67% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 972 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
300 transferred to another institution.
WCTC lost contact with the remaining 654 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 300 | 30.9% |
| Dropped Out | 654 | 67.3% |
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 WCTC 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 Waukesha County Technical College represent 29% of the students in the class of 2015, and 36.38% of WCTC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the WCTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WCTC graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 41% 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 | WCTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 40% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 47.82% |
249 first-time / full-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
73 transferred to another institution.
WCTC lost contact with the remaining 170 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 73 | 29.32% |
| Dropped Out | 170 | 68.27% |
First-time / part-time students at Waukesha County Technical College represent 33.70% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the WCTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
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 | WCTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
384 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
93 transferred to another institution.
WCTC lost contact with the remaining 282 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.34% |
| Transferred | 93 | 24.22% |
| Dropped Out | 282 | 73.44% |
259 WCTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 17.81% 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 43%, 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 44%.
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 | WCTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 43% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 55.07% |
146 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
WCTC lost contact with the remaining 85 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.37% |
| Transferred | 59 | 40.41% |
| Dropped Out | 85 | 58.22% |
283 WCTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 19.46% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 30%, 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 32%.
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 | WCTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 30% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 37.80% |
193 non first-time / part-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
75 transferred to another institution.
WCTC lost contact with the remaining 117 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.52% |
| Transferred | 75 | 38.86% |
| Dropped Out | 117 | 60.62% |
