Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how 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 Alma. 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 Alma
- Graduation Rates at Alma College
Alma Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 84.0% of students making it past their freshman year, Alma College has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 71.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Michigan, the average is 74.0%.
Alma 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, 59.0% of Alma Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Alma, there were 454 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2012. By 2014, six years after beginning their degree, 59.0% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 59.9% 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 40.1% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 183 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 155 had transferred to a different institution, and Alma lost contact with the remaining 27 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 Alma Represent 94.3% of the Class of 2012 and 97.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 43.0%, first-time students in the Alma class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 61.2% and by 2016, 62.2% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 32.8% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
Alma is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
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 Alma, we expected that after six years about 64.7% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Alma
37.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 162 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 138 had transferred to a different institution, and Alma lost contact with the remaining 24 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Alma Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2012 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
None of the students in Alma's class of 2012 were classified as as a "first-time" student attending classes "part-time".
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 22.2% after six years and 24.5% after eight years.
Returning / Full-time Students at Alma Represent 5.5% of the Class of 2012 and 2.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 24.0%, returning students in the Alma class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 24.0%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 55.0% after six years and 56.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Alma
76.0% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 19 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 17 had transferred to a different institution, and Alma lost contact with the remaining 2 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Alma Represent 0.2% of the Class of 2012 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 0.0%, returning students in the Alma class of 2012 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: 36.8% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Alma
100.0% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 1 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and Alma lost contact with the remaining 1 whom we assume dropped out.
