by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Briar Cliff first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at Briar Cliff. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 64% students making it past their freshmen year, Briar Cliff has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Briar Cliff | 64% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
There were approximately 205 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 44% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 49% of the students had graduated and after eight years 50% 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 Briar Cliff graduation rate 49%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 183 | 44% |
| Six Years | 205 | 49% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 209 | 50% |
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.
Approximately 209 students or 50% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 209 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
129 transferred to another institution.
Briar Cliff lost contact with the remaining 77 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 129 | 61.7% |
| Dropped Out | 77 | 36.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 83% |
| Black / African-American | 13% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 44% |
| International | 71% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 33% |
| 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 Briar Cliff are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Briar Cliff University represent 50.83% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Briar Cliff graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 45% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Briar Cliff | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 43% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 47.82% |
118 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.
87 transferred to another institution.
Briar Cliff lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 87 | 73.73% |
| Dropped Out | 31 | 26.27% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Briar Cliff University.
Returning / full-time students at Briar Cliff University represent 22.80% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Briar Cliff graduation rate was 53%, and by the eight year mark, 55% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Briar Cliff | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 53% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 55% | 55.07% |
43 non first-time / part-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
29 transferred to another institution.
Briar Cliff lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 29 | 67.44% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 32.56% |
Returning / part-time students at Briar Cliff University represent 26.37% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Briar Cliff graduation rate was 57%, and by the eight year mark, 57% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Briar Cliff | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 52% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 57% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 37.80% |
48 non first-time / part-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Briar Cliff lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 6.25% |
| Transferred | 13 | 27.08% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 66.67% |
