by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Arcadia? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 74% students making it past their freshmen year, Arcadia 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 Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Arcadia | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 481 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 62% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 66% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 Arcadia graduation rate 66%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Arcadia? The standard length of time for most students is 4.09 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 451 | 62% |
| Six Years | 481 | 66% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 247 | 34% |
Approximately 247 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 247 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
197 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.4% |
| Transferred | 197 | 79.8% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 19.8% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 76% |
| Black / African-American | 40% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 62% |
| International | 33% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 66% |
| Unknown | 62% |
| White | 70% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 Arcadia are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Arcadia University represent 71% of the students in the class of 2015, and 70.89% of Arcadia bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 62%, first-time students in the Arcadia class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Arcadia graduation rate was 66%, and by the eight year mark, 66% 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 | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 66% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 47.82% |
173 first-time / full-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
142 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.58% |
| Transferred | 142 | 82.08% |
| Dropped Out | 31 | 17.92% |
First-time / part-time students at Arcadia University represent 0.41% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time, part-time students in the Arcadia class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 33%.
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 | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 33% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
189 Arcadia students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.85% 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 66%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.
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 | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 66% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
63 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.59% |
| Transferred | 48 | 76.19% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 22.22% |
23 Arcadia students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.15% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 61%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 61%.
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 | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 61% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 37.80% |
9 non first-time / part-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 66.67% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 33.33% |
