by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Alaska Pacific 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 56% students making it past their freshmen year, Alaska Pacific has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Alaska, the average is 68.50%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Alaska Pacific | 56% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alaska | 68.50% |
How many of the estimated 34 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 47% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 30% of the students had graduated and after eight years 30% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Alaska Pacific graduation rate 30%.
The typical Alaska Pacific student takes 4.15 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28 | 25% |
| Six Years | 34 | 30% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 78 | 70% |
Approximately 78 students or 70% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 78 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
36 transferred to another institution.
Alaska Pacific lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 36 | 46.2% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 50.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Multi-Ethnic | 100% |
| Unknown | 67% |
| White | 67% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 Alaska Pacific are considered 'non-traditional students' who either not first-time, or not full-time, or both.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Alaska Pacific University represent 15% of the students in the class of 2015, and 26.47% of Alaska Pacific bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 47%, first-time students in the Alaska Pacific class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Alaska Pacific graduation rate was 53%, and by the eight year mark, 53% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Alaska Pacific | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 53% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 47.82% |
8 first-time / full-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
Alaska Pacific lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 37.50% |
First-time / part-time students at Alaska Pacific University represent 8.93% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 10%, first-time, part-time students in the Alaska Pacific class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 10%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Alaska Pacific | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 10% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 23.72% |
9 first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
Alaska Pacific lost contact with the remaining 5 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 44.44% |
| Dropped Out | 5 | 55.56% |
44 Alaska Pacific students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 39.29% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 41%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 41%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Alaska Pacific | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 55.07% |
26 non first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
Alaska Pacific lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 7.69% |
| Transferred | 14 | 53.85% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 38.46% |
41 Alaska Pacific students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.61% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 15%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 15%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Alaska Pacific | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 15% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 15% | 37.80% |
35 non first-time / part-time students or 85% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Alaska Pacific lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.86% |
| Transferred | 13 | 37.14% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 60.00% |
