Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how American River College'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 American River College . 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 American River College
- Graduation Rates at American River College
American River College's Freshman Retention Rate is About Average
With 71.0% of students making it past their freshman year, American River College has freshman retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in California , the average is 74.0% .
American River College 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, 25.9% of American River College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At American River College , there were 44,419 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 25.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 27.9% 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 72.1% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 32,024 students, 897 were still working towards their degree, 14,560 had transferred to a different institution, and American River College lost contact with the remaining 16,566 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 American River College Represent 3.3% of the Class of 2015 and 5.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of N/A , first-time students in the American River College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 40.3% and by 2019 ,42.5% 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.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at American River College
57.5% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 850 students, 35 were still working towards their degree, 303 had transferred to a different institution, and American River College lost contact with the remaining 512 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at American River College Represent 9.4% of the Class of 2015 and 6.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 16.9% , first-time students in the American River College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 19.2% .
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 American River College
80.8% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 3,365 students, 88 were still working towards their degree, 969 had transferred to a different institution, and American River College lost contact with the remaining 2,308 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at American River College Represent 15.7% of the Class of 2015 and 25.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 42.6% , returning students in the American River College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 44.8% .
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 American River College
55.2% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 3,839 students, 104 were still working towards their degree, 1,901 had transferred to a different institution, and American River College lost contact with the remaining 1,834 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at American River College Represent 71.6% of the Class of 2015 and 63.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 22.7% , returning students in the American River College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 24.7% .
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 American River College
75.3% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 23,969 students, 670 were still working towards their degree, 11,387 had transferred to a different institution, and American River College lost contact with the remaining 11,912 whom we assume dropped out.