Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Blue Ridge Community 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 Blue Ridge Community 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 Blue Ridge Community College
- Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
Blue Ridge Community College Has a Lower Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
In order to graduate you have to make it past freshman year. With only 59.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Blue Ridge Community College has freshman retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 68.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in North Carolina, the average is 65.0%.
Blue Ridge Community 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, 16.8% of Blue Ridge Community College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Blue Ridge Community College, there were 623 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2014. By 2016, six years after beginning their degree, 16.8% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 18.5% 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 81.5% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 509 students, 4 were still working towards their degree, 159 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 345 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 Blue Ridge Community College Represent 36.0% of the Class of 2014 and 52.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of N/A, first-time students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2014 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 25.0% and by 2018, 26.8% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 33.3% after four years, 46.2% after six years, and 47.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
73.2% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2014 had not Completed Their Degree by 2018
Of these 164 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 49 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 113 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 36.9% of the Class of 2014 and 17.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 7.4%, first-time students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2014 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 8.7%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.4% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
91.3% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2014 had not Completed Their Degree by 2018
Of these 210 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 51 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 157 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 6.9% of the Class of 2014 and 9.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 23.3%, returning students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2014 who attended classes full-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 25.6%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.9% after six years and 55.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
74.4% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2014 had not Completed Their Degree by 2018
Of these 32 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 9 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 23 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 20.2% of the Class of 2014 and 20.9% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 17.5%, returning students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2014 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 19.0%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.9% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
81.0% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2014 had not Completed Their Degree by 2018
Of these 102 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 50 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 52 whom we assume dropped out.
