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 Arizona State. 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 Arizona State
- Graduation Rates at Arizona State University
Arizona State Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 86.0% of students staying on for a second year, Arizona State University is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 71.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Arizona, the average is 59.0%.
Arizona State 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, 62.0% of Arizona State Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Arizona State, there were 10,936 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2012. By 2014, six years after beginning their degree, 62.0% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 64.5% 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 35.5% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 3,880 students, 142 were still working towards their degree, 2,322 had transferred to a different institution, and Arizona State lost contact with the remaining 1,415 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 Arizona State Represent 61.7% of the Class of 2012 and 63.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 38.0%, first-time students in the Arizona State class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 63.4% and by 2016, 66.2% 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.
The Graduation Rate at Arizona State 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 Arizona State, we expected that after six years about 66.1% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Arizona State
33.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 2,278 students, 82 were still working towards their degree, 1,459 had transferred to a different institution, and Arizona State lost contact with the remaining 737 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Arizona State Represent 8.7% of the Class of 2012 and 4.9% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 33.3%, first-time students in the Arizona State class of 2012 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 36.4%.
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.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Arizona State
63.6% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 607 students, 27 were still working towards their degree, 354 had transferred to a different institution, and Arizona State lost contact with the remaining 226 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Arizona State Represent 21.8% of the Class of 2012 and 24.7% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 71.4%, returning students in the Arizona State class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 73.1%.
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 Arizona State
26.9% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 642 students, 20 were still working towards their degree, 335 had transferred to a different institution, and Arizona State lost contact with the remaining 287 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Arizona State Represent 7.8% of the Class of 2012 and 7.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 56.5%, returning students in the Arizona State class of 2012 who attended classes part-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 58.8%.
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 Arizona State
41.2% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 352 students, 13 were still working towards their degree, 174 had transferred to a different institution, and Arizona State lost contact with the remaining 165 whom we assume dropped out.
