by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Aurora first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at Aurora. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, Aurora 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 Illinois, the average is 72.64%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Aurora | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Illinois | 72.64% |
There were approximately 966 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 59% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 66% of the students had graduated and after eight years 67% 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 Aurora graduation rate 66%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 869 | 59% |
| Six Years | 966 | 66% |
| Eight Years | 14 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 491 | 33% |
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 491 students or 33% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 491 students who did not complete their degree?
6 are still enrolled.
108 transferred to another institution.
Aurora lost contact with the remaining 375 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 108 | 22.0% |
| Dropped Out | 375 | 76.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 75% |
| Asian | 81% |
| Black / African-American | 48% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 60% |
| International | 67% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 59% |
| Unknown | 43% |
| White | 60% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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.
A meaningful share of students at Aurora are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Aurora University represent 45.92% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Aurora graduation rate was 59%, and by the eight year mark, 60% 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 | Aurora | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 59% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 60% | 47.82% |
272 first-time / full-time students or 40% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
82 transferred to another institution.
Aurora lost contact with the remaining 184 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 2.21% |
| Transferred | 82 | 30.15% |
| Dropped Out | 184 | 67.65% |
First-time / part-time students at Aurora University represent 0.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Aurora graduation rate was 20%, and by the eight year mark, 20% 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 | Aurora | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 23.72% |
4 first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Aurora lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 100.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Aurora University represent 42.80% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Aurora graduation rate was 78%, 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 | Aurora | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 78% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 55.07% |
137 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
22 transferred to another institution.
Aurora lost contact with the remaining 114 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.73% |
| Transferred | 22 | 16.06% |
| Dropped Out | 114 | 83.21% |
Returning / part-time students at Aurora University represent 10.94% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Aurora graduation rate was 50%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | Aurora | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 47% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 37.80% |
78 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
Aurora lost contact with the remaining 73 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.28% |
| Transferred | 4 | 5.13% |
| Dropped Out | 73 | 93.59% |
