Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Alfred's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at Alfred . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.

On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at Alfred
- Graduation Rates at Alfred University
Alfred Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 73.0% of students making it past their freshman year, Alfred University has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in New York , the average is 73.0% .
Alfred Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 55.7% of Alfred Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Alfred , there were 659 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 55.7% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 55.7% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 44.3% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 293 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 223 had transferred to a different institution, and Alfred lost contact with the remaining 69 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 Alfred Represent 85.4% of the Class of 2015 and 81.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 41.0% , first-time students in the Alfred class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 53.1% and by 2019 ,53.1% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
The Graduation Rate at Alfred is About What we had Anticipated
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to Alfred , we expected that after six years about 54.1% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Alfred
46.9% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 264 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 212 had transferred to a different institution, and Alfred lost contact with the remaining 52 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Alfred Represent 0.2% of the Class of 2015 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 0.0% , first-time students in the Alfred class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 0.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Alfred
100.0% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 1 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and Alfred lost contact with the remaining 1 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Alfred Represent 14.0% of the Class of 2015 and 18.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 73.9% , returning students in the Alfred class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 73.9% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Alfred
26.1% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 24 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 11 had transferred to a different institution, and Alfred lost contact with the remaining 13 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Alfred Represent 0.5% of the Class of 2015 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 0.0% , returning students in the Alfred class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 0.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Alfred
100.0% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 3 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and Alfred lost contact with the remaining 3 whom we assume dropped out.