by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Boise State 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 78% students making it past their freshmen year, Boise State 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 Idaho, the average is 77.33%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Boise State | 78% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Idaho | 77.33% |
There were approximately 2,130 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 18% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 45% of the students had graduated and after eight years 48% 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 Boise State graduation rate 45%.
The average Boise State student takes 4.59 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,318 | 28% |
| Six Years | 2,130 | 45% |
| Eight Years | 162 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,454 | 52% |
Approximately 2454 students or 52% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2454 students who did not complete their degree?
54 are still enrolled.
965 transferred to another institution.
Boise State lost contact with the remaining 1424 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 54 | 2.2% |
| Transferred | 965 | 39.3% |
| Dropped Out | 1,424 | 58.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 22% |
| Asian | 65% |
| Black / African-American | 33% |
| Hawaiian | 67% |
| Hispanic | 53% |
| International | 34% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 55% |
| Unknown | 56% |
| White | 56% |
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 Boise State 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 Boise State University represent 54% of the students in the class of 2015, and 49.15% of Boise State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time students in the Boise State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Boise State graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | Boise State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 18% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 41% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 47.82% |
1394 first-time / full-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
54 are still enrolled.
575 transferred to another institution.
Boise State lost contact with the remaining 774 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 54 | 3.87% |
| Transferred | 575 | 41.25% |
| Dropped Out | 774 | 55.52% |
First-time / part-time students at Boise State University represent 6.83% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the Boise State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 15%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Boise State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 4% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 15% | 23.72% |
277 first-time / part-time students or 85% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
7 are still enrolled.
55 transferred to another institution.
Boise State lost contact with the remaining 215 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 7 | 2.53% |
| Transferred | 55 | 19.86% |
| Dropped Out | 215 | 77.62% |
1262 Boise State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 26.51% 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 56%, 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 58%.
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 | Boise State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 55.07% |
533 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
229 transferred to another institution.
Boise State lost contact with the remaining 296 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 1.50% |
| Transferred | 229 | 42.96% |
| Dropped Out | 296 | 55.53% |
615 Boise State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.92% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 56%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 59%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Boise State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 56% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 37.80% |
250 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
106 transferred to another institution.
Boise State lost contact with the remaining 139 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 2.00% |
| Transferred | 106 | 42.40% |
| Dropped Out | 139 | 55.60% |
