Wellesley Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Wellesley College 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How many Wellesley first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Wellesley retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.

• Wellesley Retention Rate
• Wellesley Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• Wellesley Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

Wellesley Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 93% students making it past their freshmen year, Wellesley 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.

Wellesley Graduation Rates

There were approximately 525 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

81% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 89% in six years, and 90% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of Wellesley is 89%. 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 typical Wellesley student takes 4.09 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

Wellesley Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Wellesley Drop Out Rate

Approximately 62 students or 10% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 62 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 42 transferred to another institution.

• Wellesley lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.

Wellesley Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 Wellesley 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 Wellesley Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Wellesley College represent 97% of the students in the class of 2015, and 96.95% of Wellesley bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 81%, first-time students in the Wellesley class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Wellesley graduation rate was 89%, and by the eight year mark, 90% 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.

Wellesley First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time Wellesley Drop Out Rates

60 first-time / full-time students or 10% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 41 transferred to another institution.

• Wellesley lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Wellesley first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

17 Wellesley students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.87% 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 88%, 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 94%.

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.

Wellesley Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time Wellesley Drop Out Rates

1 non first-time / part-time students or 6% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 0 transferred to another institution.

• Wellesley lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2 Wellesley students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.34% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 50%, 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 50%.

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.

Wellesley Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Part-Time Wellesley Drop Out Rates

1 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 1 transferred to another institution.

• Wellesley lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• Image Credit: By Jared and Corin under License