by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Arcadia 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 79% 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 | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
How many of the estimated 485 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 61% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 64% of the students had graduated and after eight years 64% 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 64%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 461 | 61% |
| Six Years | 485 | 64% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 273 | 36% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 273 students or 36% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 273 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
208 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 208 | 76.2% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 23.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 70% |
| Black / African-American | 55% |
| Hispanic | 64% |
| International | 60% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 45% |
| Unknown | 33% |
| White | 67% |
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 80.21% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Arcadia graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 63% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 60% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 63% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 63% | 47.82% |
224 first-time / full-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
179 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.45% |
| Transferred | 179 | 79.91% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 19.64% |
First-time / part-time students at Arcadia University represent 1.44% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Arcadia graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 23.72% |
11 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 27.27% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 72.73% |
Returning / full-time students at Arcadia University represent 17.04% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Arcadia graduation rate was 77%, and by the eight year mark, 78% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 77% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 55.07% |
29 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
23 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 23 | 79.31% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 20.69% |
Returning / part-time students at Arcadia University represent 1.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Arcadia graduation rate was 10%, and by the eight year mark, 10% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Arcadia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 10% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 10% | 37.80% |
9 non 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.
3 transferred to another institution.
Arcadia lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 66.67% |
