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 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in Virginia , the average is 71.0% .
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, 26.7% of Blue Ridge Community College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Blue Ridge Community College , there were 1,732 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 26.7% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 27.8% 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 72.2% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,251 students, 25 were still working towards their degree, 260 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 965 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 37.0% of the Class of 2015 and 46.7% 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 2015 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 34.1% and by 2019 ,35.2% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 34.1% after four years, 45.8% after six years, and 47.4% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
64.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 415 students, 9 were still working towards their degree, 96 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 310 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 25.3% of the Class of 2015 and 17.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 17.6% , first-time students in the Blue Ridge Community 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 19.4% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.3% after six years and 23.4% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Blue Ridge Community College
80.6% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 353 students, 9 were still working towards their degree, 53 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 291 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 19.2% of the Class of 2015 and 25.7% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 37.0% , returning students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 37.4% .
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 Blue Ridge Community College
62.7% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 208 students, 2 were still working towards their degree, 58 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 148 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Blue Ridge Community College Represent 18.6% of the Class of 2015 and 10.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 13.7% , returning students in the Blue Ridge Community College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 14.9% .
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
85.1% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 274 students, 5 were still working towards their degree, 53 had transferred to a different institution, and Blue Ridge Community College lost contact with the remaining 216 whom we assume dropped out.
