by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Clarke 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 Clarke. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 67% students making it past their freshmen year, Clarke 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 | |
|---|---|
| Clarke | 67% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
How many of the estimated 138 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 51% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 57% of the students had graduated and after eight years 57% 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 Clarke graduation rate 57%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 122 | 51% |
| Six Years | 138 | 57% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 103 | 43% |
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 103 students or 43% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 103 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
85 transferred to another institution.
Clarke lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 85 | 82.5% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 17.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hispanic | 44% |
| International | 100% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 61% |
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 Clarke 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 Clarke University represent 65.56% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Clarke graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 58% 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 | Clarke | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 51% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 58% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 47.82% |
67 first-time / full-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
58 transferred to another institution.
Clarke lost contact with the remaining 9 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 58 | 86.57% |
| Dropped Out | 9 | 13.43% |
At this time we lack data for this cohort at Clarke University.
Returning / full-time students at Clarke University represent 32.78% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Clarke graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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 | Clarke | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 59% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 55.07% |
32 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
Clarke lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 24 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 25.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Clarke University represent 1.66% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Clarke graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% 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 | Clarke | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 0% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 37.80% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Clarke lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 25.00% |
