by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to WSC after their first year? Are WSC 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 74% students making it past their freshmen year, WSC 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 Nebraska, the average is 73.00%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WSC | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Nebraska | 73.00% |
Of the 503 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 28% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 51% of the students had graduated and after eight years 52% 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 WSC graduation rate 51%.
The typical WSC student takes 4.37 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 329 | 33% |
| Six Years | 503 | 51% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 475 | 48% |
Approximately 475 students or 48% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 475 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
348 transferred to another institution.
WSC lost contact with the remaining 124 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.6% |
| Transferred | 348 | 73.3% |
| Dropped Out | 124 | 26.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 33% |
| Asian | 43% |
| Black / African-American | 31% |
| Hispanic | 29% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 18% |
| Unknown | 78% |
| White | 56% |
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 WSC 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 Wayne State College represent 69% of the students in the class of 2015, and 68.99% of WSC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time students in the WSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WSC graduation rate was 50%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | WSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 50% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
334 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
251 transferred to another institution.
WSC lost contact with the remaining 81 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.90% |
| Transferred | 251 | 75.15% |
| Dropped Out | 81 | 24.25% |
First-time / part-time students at Wayne State College represent 0.60% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time, part-time students in the WSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.
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 | WSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 17% | 23.72% |
5 first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
WSC 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 | 4 | 80.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 20.00% |
240 WSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 24.19% 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 58%, 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 60%.
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 | WSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 58% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 55.07% |
95 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
64 transferred to another institution.
WSC lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 64 | 67.37% |
| Dropped Out | 31 | 32.63% |
57 WSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.75% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 28%, 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 28%.
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 | WSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 28% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
41 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
29 transferred to another institution.
WSC lost contact with the remaining 11 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.44% |
| Transferred | 29 | 70.73% |
| Dropped Out | 11 | 26.83% |
