by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at AU? 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 59% students making it past their freshmen year, AU has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| AU | 59% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
There were approximately 174 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
35% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 47% in six years, and 48% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of AU is 47%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average AU student takes 4.17 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 150 | 41% |
| Six Years | 174 | 47% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 194 | 52% |
Approximately 194 students or 52% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 194 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
155 transferred to another institution.
AU lost contact with the remaining 39 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 155 | 79.9% |
| Dropped Out | 39 | 20.1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 34% |
| Hispanic | 46% |
| International | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 40% |
| White | 60% |
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 AU 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 Averett University represent 71% of the students in the class of 2015, and 62.07% of AU bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the AU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the AU graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 41% 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 | AU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 41% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 47.82% |
154 first-time / full-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
122 transferred to another institution.
AU lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 122 | 79.22% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 20.78% |
First-time / part-time students at Averett University represent 0.54% of the students in the class of 2015.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | AU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 1% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 1% | 23.72% |
2 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.
1 transferred to another institution.
AU 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% |
105 AU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 28.38% 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 63%, 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 64%.
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 | AU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 55.07% |
38 non first-time / part-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
32 transferred to another institution.
AU lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 32 | 84.21% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 15.79% |
1 AU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.27% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 100%.
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.
