by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to BSC after their first year? Are BSC students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, BSC has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| BSC | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
How many of the estimated 210 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 57% of the cohort graduated. After six years 65% had completed their degree, and 66% after eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official BSC graduation rate 65%.
The typical BSC student takes 4.14 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 186 | 58% |
| Six Years | 210 | 65% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 108 | 34% |
Approximately 108 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 108 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
91 transferred to another institution.
BSC lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 91 | 84.3% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 15.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 80% |
| Asian | 86% |
| Black / African-American | 53% |
| Hispanic | 100% |
| White | 71% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 BSC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
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 Birmingham Southern College represent 89% of the students in the class of 2015, and 88.57% of BSC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 57%, first-time students in the BSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the BSC graduation rate was 65%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | BSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 57% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 65% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 47.82% |
95 first-time / full-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
81 transferred to another institution.
BSC lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 81 | 85.26% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 14.74% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on BSC first-time, part-time students.
37 BSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.49% 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 65%, 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 65%.
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 | BSC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 65% | 55.07% |
13 non first-time / part-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
BSC lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 76.92% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 23.08% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on BSC returning, part-time students.
