by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at West Liberty University? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 73% students making it past their freshmen year, West Liberty University 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 West Virginia, the average is 70.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| West Liberty University | 73% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| West Virginia | 70.53% |
Of the 386 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 27% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 45% 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 West Liberty University graduation rate 44%.
The average West Liberty University student takes 4.39 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 253 | 29% |
| Six Years | 386 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 479 | 55% |
Approximately 479 students or 55% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 479 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
120 transferred to another institution.
West Liberty University lost contact with the remaining 357 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 120 | 25.1% |
| Dropped Out | 357 | 74.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 43% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| International | 80% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| Unknown | 69% |
| White | 53% |
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 West Liberty University 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 West Liberty University represent 65% of the students in the class of 2015, and 69.17% of West Liberty University bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 27%, first-time students in the West Liberty University class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the West Liberty University graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | West Liberty University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 47% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
292 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
West Liberty University lost contact with the remaining 174 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.34% |
| Transferred | 116 | 39.73% |
| Dropped Out | 174 | 59.59% |
First-time / part-time students at West Liberty University represent 1.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the West Liberty University class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
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 | West Liberty University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
256 West Liberty University students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 29.19% 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 36%, 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 36%.
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 | West Liberty University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 36% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 55.07% |
163 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
West Liberty University lost contact with the remaining 160 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 1.84% |
| Dropped Out | 160 | 98.16% |
39 West Liberty University students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.45% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 38%, 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 38%.
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 | West Liberty University | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 38% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 37.80% |
24 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
West Liberty University lost contact with the remaining 23 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 4.17% |
| Dropped Out | 23 | 95.83% |
