by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Helms College 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 87% students making it past their freshmen year, Helms College 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 Georgia, the average is 65.40%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Helms College | 87% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Georgia | 65.40% |
How many of the estimated 121 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 62% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 62% of the students had graduated and after eight years 62% 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 Helms College graduation rate 62%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 121 | 62% |
| Six Years | 121 | 62% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 74 | 38% |
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 74 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 74 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
56 transferred to another institution.
Helms College lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 56 | 75.7% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 24.3% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at Helms College are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Helms College represent 21.54% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Helms College graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | Helms College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 69% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 69% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 47.82% |
13 first-time / full-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
Helms College lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 9 | 69.23% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 30.77% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Helms College.
Returning / full-time students at Helms College represent 78.46% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Helms College graduation rate was 60%, and by the eight year mark, 60% 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 | Helms College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 55.07% |
61 non first-time / part-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
Helms College lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 47 | 77.05% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 22.95% |
At this time we lack data for this cohort at Helms College.
