by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding BCC retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree 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 57% students making it past their freshmen year, BCC has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| BCC | 57% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
Of the 172 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 26% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 29% of the students had graduated and after eight years 31% 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 BCC graduation rate 29%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 150 | 26% |
| Six Years | 172 | 29% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 407 | 69% |
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 407 students or 69% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 407 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
156 transferred to another institution.
BCC lost contact with the remaining 243 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 156 | 38.3% |
| Dropped Out | 243 | 59.7% |
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 BCC 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 Berkshire Community College represent 34.30% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the BCC graduation rate was 37%, and by the eight year mark, 38% 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 | BCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 34% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 37% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 47.82% |
124 first-time / full-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
BCC lost contact with the remaining 74 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.61% |
| Transferred | 48 | 38.71% |
| Dropped Out | 74 | 59.68% |
First-time / part-time students at Berkshire Community College represent 35.65% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the BCC graduation rate was 17%, and by the eight year mark, 19% 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 | BCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 17% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
169 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
40 transferred to another institution.
BCC lost contact with the remaining 124 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 2.96% |
| Transferred | 40 | 23.67% |
| Dropped Out | 124 | 73.37% |
Returning / full-time students at Berkshire Community College represent 9.34% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the BCC graduation rate was 40%, and by the eight year mark, 40% 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 | BCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 40% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 40% | 55.07% |
33 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
BCC lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 20 | 60.61% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 39.39% |
Returning / part-time students at Berkshire Community College represent 20.71% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the BCC graduation rate was 34%, and by the eight year mark, 34% 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 | BCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 30% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 37.80% |
81 non first-time / part-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
48 transferred to another institution.
BCC lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.23% |
| Transferred | 48 | 59.26% |
| Dropped Out | 32 | 39.51% |
