by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Villanova retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 96% students making it past their freshmen year, Villanova 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Villanova | 96% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 1,696 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 87% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 89% of the students had graduated and after eight years 89% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Villanova 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 Villanova student takes 4.03 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,638 | 86% |
| Six Years | 1,696 | 89% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 206 | 11% |
Approximately 206 students or 11% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 206 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
130 transferred to another institution.
Villanova lost contact with the remaining 72 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 130 | 63.1% |
| Dropped Out | 72 | 35.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 91% |
| Black / African-American | 91% |
| Hispanic | 89% |
| International | 92% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 84% |
| Unknown | 92% |
| White | 93% |
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 Villanova 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 Villanova University represent 86% of the students in the class of 2015, and 87.32% of Villanova bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 87%, first-time students in the Villanova class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Villanova graduation rate was 90%, 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.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Villanova | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 87% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 90% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 90% | 47.82% |
159 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.
129 transferred to another institution.
Villanova lost contact with the remaining 28 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 129 | 81.13% |
| Dropped Out | 28 | 17.61% |
First-time / part-time students at Villanova University represent 0.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 100%, first-time, part-time students in the Villanova 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 | Villanova | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 100% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 23.72% |
203 Villanova students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 10.63% 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 93%, 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 93%.
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 | Villanova | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 93% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 55.07% |
14 non first-time / part-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Villanova lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 100.00% |
60 Villanova students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.14% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 43%, 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 45%.
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 | Villanova | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 43% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 37.80% |
33 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Villanova lost contact with the remaining 30 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 6.06% |
| Transferred | 1 | 3.03% |
| Dropped Out | 30 | 90.91% |
