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EIU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

32% 4-Year Graduation Rate
61% 6-Year Graduation Rate
74% Retention Rate

Eastern Illinois University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at EIU? 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.

EIU Retention Rate

74% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

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, EIU 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.

EIU Retention  74 out of 100
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100%
Illinois Retention  73 out of 100
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100%
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Retention Rate
EIU74%
Nationwide70.57%
Illinois72.64%

EIU Graduation Rates

61% 6-Year Graduation Rate
26.91% Transfer Rate
10.85% Dropout Rate

Of the 1,762 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

After four years 32% of the cohort graduated. After six years 61% had completed their degree, and 62% after eight years.

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 EIU graduation rate 61%.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at EIU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.35 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  46%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  61%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  62%
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100%

EIU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years1,32746%
Six Years1,76261%
Eight Years341%
Did Not Complete1,10638%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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EIU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 1106 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 1106 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.1%
Transferred78170.6%
Dropped Out31528.5%

EIU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native33%
Asian57%
Black / African-American34%
Hispanic43%
International23%
Multi-Ethnic42%
Unknown17%
White60%

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 EIU 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 EIU Graduation Rates

48% First-Time, Full-Time
55% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Eastern Illinois University represent 48% of the students in the class of 2015, and 43.42% of EIU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 32%, first-time students in the EIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the EIU graduation rate was 55%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  32 out of 100
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  55 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  57 out of 100
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100%

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

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsEIUNationwide
Four Years32%37.92%
Six Years55%46.43%
Eight Years57%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time EIU Drop Out Rates

599 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.17%
Transferred45976.63%
Dropped Out13823.04%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

3% First-Time, Part-Time
39% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Eastern Illinois University represent 2.55% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 39%, first-time, part-time students in the EIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 42%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  39 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  42 out of 100
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First-Time / Part-Time EIU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsEIUNationwide
Four Years4%14.37%
Six Years39%21.59%
Eight Years42%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time EIU Drop Out Rates

43 first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred3581.40%
Dropped Out818.60%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

38% Returning, Full-Time
72% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1115 EIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 38.42% 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 72%, 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 72%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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100%

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

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsEIUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years72%53.83%
Eight Years72%55.07%

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

311 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled41.29%
Transferred22070.74%
Dropped Out8727.97%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

11% Returning, Part-Time
51% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

328 EIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.30% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 51%, 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 53%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  51 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  53 out of 100
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EIU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsEIUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years51%36.03%
Eight Years53%37.80%

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

153 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled42.61%
Transferred6743.79%
Dropped Out8253.59%

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