by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many D&E 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 D&E. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 65% students making it past their freshmen year, D&E 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 West Virginia, the average is 70.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| D&E | 65% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| West Virginia | 70.53% |
Of the 178 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 48% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 55% of the students had graduated and after eight years 55% 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 D&E graduation rate 55%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 154 | 48% |
| Six Years | 178 | 55% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 146 | 45% |
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 146 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 146 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
66 transferred to another institution.
D&E lost contact with the remaining 80 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 66 | 45.2% |
| Dropped Out | 80 | 54.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 50% |
| Hispanic | 67% |
| International | 31% |
| Unknown | 33% |
| White | 39% |
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 D&E 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 Davis & Elkins College represent 70.99% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the D&E graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | D&E | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 39% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 48% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
119 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
55 transferred to another institution.
D&E lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 55 | 46.22% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 53.78% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Davis & Elkins College.
Returning / full-time students at Davis & Elkins College represent 28.40% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the D&E graduation rate was 71%, and by the eight year mark, 71% 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 | D&E | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 71% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 55.07% |
27 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
D&E lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 11 | 40.74% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 59.26% |
Returning / part-time students at Davis & Elkins College represent 0.62% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the D&E graduation rate was 100%, and by the eight year mark, 100% 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 | D&E | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 100% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
