by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Cowley College 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 Cowley College. 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 63% students making it past their freshmen year, Cowley College 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 Kansas, the average is 65.77%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Cowley College | 63% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Kansas | 65.77% |
Of the 399 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 34% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 36% of the students had graduated and after eight years 37% 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 Cowley College graduation rate 36%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 378 | 34% |
| Six Years | 399 | 36% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 691 | 63% |
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 691 students or 63% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 691 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
349 transferred to another institution.
Cowley College lost contact with the remaining 333 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 349 | 50.5% |
| Dropped Out | 333 | 48.2% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Cowley College 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 Cowley County Community College represent 55.99% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Cowley College graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 41% 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 | Cowley College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 39% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 40% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 47.82% |
362 first-time / full-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
181 transferred to another institution.
Cowley College lost contact with the remaining 175 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.66% |
| Transferred | 181 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 175 | 48.34% |
First-time / part-time students at Cowley County Community College represent 19.33% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Cowley College graduation rate was 23%, and by the eight year mark, 24% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Cowley College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 23% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
161 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
71 transferred to another institution.
Cowley College lost contact with the remaining 90 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 71 | 44.10% |
| Dropped Out | 90 | 55.90% |
Returning / full-time students at Cowley County Community College represent 12.70% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Cowley College graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | Cowley College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 45% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 55.07% |
76 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
44 transferred to another institution.
Cowley College lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 3.95% |
| Transferred | 44 | 57.89% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 38.16% |
Returning / part-time students at Cowley County Community College represent 11.98% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Cowley College graduation rate was 29%, and by the eight year mark, 30% 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 | Cowley College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 29% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 37.80% |
92 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
53 transferred to another institution.
Cowley College lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 53 | 57.61% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 42.39% |
