Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Bay State College'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 Bay State College . 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 Bay State College
- Graduation Rates at Bay State College
Bay State College Has One of the Lowest Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
You have to make it past freshman year in order to graduate. With only 56.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Bay State College has among the worst freshman retention rates in the country.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in Massachusetts , the average is 76.0% .
Bay State College 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.
- Low retention rates may be a signal that a lot of students plan on transferring after a year or two. Is that the case here?
Overall, 38.9% of Bay State College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Bay State College , there were 599 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 38.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 39.6% 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 60.4% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 363 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 191 had transferred to a different institution, and Bay State College lost contact with the remaining 168 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 Bay State College Represent 35.6% of the Class of 2015 and 28.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 14.0% , first-time students in the Bay State College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 30.5% and by 2019 ,31.5% 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.
Bay State College is Graduating Students Slower 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 Bay State College , we expected that after six years about 37.5% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Bay State College
68.5% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 146 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 81 had transferred to a different institution, and Bay State College lost contact with the remaining 65 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Bay State College Represent 12.2% of the Class of 2015 and 10.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 31.5% , first-time students in the Bay State College 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 32.9% .
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 Bay State College
67.1% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 49 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 20 had transferred to a different institution, and Bay State College lost contact with the remaining 29 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Bay State College Represent 29.9% of the Class of 2015 and 40.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 53.1% , returning students in the Bay State College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 53.1% .
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 Bay State College
46.9% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 84 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 49 had transferred to a different institution, and Bay State College lost contact with the remaining 34 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Bay State College Represent 22.4% of the Class of 2015 and 21.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 37.3% , returning students in the Bay State College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 38.1% .
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 Bay State College
61.9% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 83 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 41 had transferred to a different institution, and Bay State College lost contact with the remaining 40 whom we assume dropped out.