by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Western Dakota Tech after their first year? Are Western Dakota Tech students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 65% students making it past their freshmen year, Western Dakota Tech has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in South Dakota, the average is 75.05%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Western Dakota Tech | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Dakota | 75.05% |
There were approximately 247 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 43% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 44% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Western Dakota Tech is 44%. 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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 240 | 43% |
| Six Years | 247 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 312 | 56% |
Approximately 312 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 312 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
106 transferred to another institution.
Western Dakota Tech lost contact with the remaining 199 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 106 | 34.0% |
| Dropped Out | 199 | 63.8% |
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 Western Dakota Tech 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 Western Dakota Technical Institute represent 53% of the students in the class of 2015, and 53.04% of Western Dakota Tech bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 43%, first-time students in the Western Dakota Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Western Dakota Tech graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | Western Dakota Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 43% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 45% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 47.82% |
162 first-time / full-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
Western Dakota Tech lost contact with the remaining 114 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 44 | 27.16% |
| Dropped Out | 114 | 70.37% |
First-time / part-time students at Western Dakota Technical Institute represent 3.21% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time, part-time students in the Western Dakota Tech class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Western Dakota Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 28% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 23.72% |
13 first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
Western Dakota Tech lost contact with the remaining 11 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 15.38% |
| Dropped Out | 11 | 84.62% |
178 Western Dakota Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.73% 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 43%.
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 | Western Dakota Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 43% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 55.07% |
102 non first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
42 transferred to another institution.
Western Dakota Tech lost contact with the remaining 58 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.96% |
| Transferred | 42 | 41.18% |
| Dropped Out | 58 | 56.86% |
70 Western Dakota Tech students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.48% 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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Western Dakota Tech | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
35 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
Western Dakota Tech lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.86% |
| Transferred | 18 | 51.43% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 45.71% |
