Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how 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 BSC. 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 BSC
- Graduation Rates at Birmingham Southern College
BSC Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 86.0% of students staying on for a second year, Birmingham Southern College is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 71.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Alabama, the average is 63.0%.
BSC 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, 63.7% of BSC Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At BSC, there were 502 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2012. By 2014, six years after beginning their degree, 63.7% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 64.3% 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 35.7% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 180 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 145 had transferred to a different institution, and BSC lost contact with the remaining 31 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 BSC Represent 89.6% of the Class of 2012 and 90.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 53.0%, first-time students in the BSC class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 64.2% and by 2016, 64.9% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 32.8% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
The Graduation Rate at BSC is About What we had Anticipated
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 BSC, we expected that after six years about 65.9% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at BSC
35.1% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 158 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 127 had transferred to a different institution, and BSC lost contact with the remaining 28 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at BSC Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2012 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
None of the students in BSC's class of 2012 were classified as as a "first-time" student attending classes "part-time".
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 22.2% after six years and 24.5% after eight years.
Returning / Full-time Students at BSC Represent 10.4% of the Class of 2012 and 9.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 59.6%, returning students in the BSC class of 2012 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 59.6%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 55.0% after six years and 56.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at BSC
40.4% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 21 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 18 had transferred to a different institution, and BSC lost contact with the remaining 3 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at BSC Represent 0.0% of the Class of 2012 and 0.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
None of the students in BSC's class of 2012 were classified as as a "returning" student attending classes "part-time".
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.8% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
