Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Azusa Pacific's 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 Azusa Pacific . 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 Azusa Pacific
- Graduation Rates at Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 81.0% of students making it past their freshman year, Azusa Pacific University has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in California , the average is 74.0% .
Azusa Pacific 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, 64.6% of Azusa Pacific Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Azusa Pacific , there were 2,000 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 64.6% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 66.0% 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 34.0% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 680 students, 4 were still working towards their degree, 535 had transferred to a different institution, and Azusa Pacific lost contact with the remaining 140 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 Azusa Pacific Represent 60.6% of the Class of 2015 and 61.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 52.0% , first-time students in the Azusa Pacific class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 65.8% and by 2019 ,67.3% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
Azusa Pacific is Graduating Students Faster Than we Expected
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 Azusa Pacific , we expected that after six years about 61.7% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Azusa Pacific
32.7% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 396 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 328 had transferred to a different institution, and Azusa Pacific lost contact with the remaining 66 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Azusa Pacific Represent 0.3% of the Class of 2015 and 0.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 33.3% , first-time students in the Azusa Pacific class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 50.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Azusa Pacific
50.0% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 3 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 2 had transferred to a different institution, and Azusa Pacific lost contact with the remaining 1 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Azusa Pacific Represent 28.2% of the Class of 2015 and 28.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 66.0% , returning students in the Azusa Pacific class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 66.8% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Azusa Pacific
33.2% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 187 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 150 had transferred to a different institution, and Azusa Pacific lost contact with the remaining 36 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Azusa Pacific Represent 10.9% of the Class of 2015 and 9.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 56.0% , returning students in the Azusa Pacific class of 2015 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 57.3% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Azusa Pacific
42.7% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 93 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 55 had transferred to a different institution, and Azusa Pacific lost contact with the remaining 37 whom we assume dropped out.