by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at WCC? 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 68% students making it past their freshmen year, WCC 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WCC | 68% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
Of the 733 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 33% of the students had graduated and after eight years 35% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of WCC is 33%. 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 | 658 | 30% |
| Six Years | 733 | 33% |
| Eight Years | 27 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,431 | 65% |
Approximately 1431 students or 65% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1431 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
98 transferred to another institution.
WCC lost contact with the remaining 1324 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 98 | 6.8% |
| Dropped Out | 1,324 | 92.5% |
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 WCC 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 Wilson Community College represent 6% of the students in the class of 2015, and 4.91% of WCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the WCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the WCC graduation rate was 26%, and by the eight year mark, 27% 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 | WCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 26% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 47.82% |
102 first-time / full-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
WCC lost contact with the remaining 94 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 6.86% |
| Dropped Out | 94 | 92.16% |
First-time / part-time students at Wilson Community College represent 7.53% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 10%, first-time, part-time students in the WCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
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 | WCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 10% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
147 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
WCC lost contact with the remaining 145 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 1.36% |
| Dropped Out | 145 | 98.64% |
986 WCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 45.00% 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 38%, 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 39%.
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 | WCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 38% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 55.07% |
597 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
WCC lost contact with the remaining 551 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.34% |
| Transferred | 44 | 7.37% |
| Dropped Out | 551 | 92.29% |
901 WCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 41.12% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 35%.
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 | WCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 37.80% |
585 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
45 transferred to another institution.
WCC lost contact with the remaining 534 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.03% |
| Transferred | 45 | 7.69% |
| Dropped Out | 534 | 91.28% |
