by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Boston U 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 95% students making it past their freshmen year, Boston U 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Boston U | 95% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
There were approximately 4210 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 80% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 86% of the students had graduated and after eight years 86% 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 Boston U graduation rate 86%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3930 | 80% |
| Six Years | 4210 | 86% |
| Eight Years | 35 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 667 | 14% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 667 students or 14% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 667 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
448 transferred to another institution.
Boston U lost contact with the remaining 217 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.1% |
| Transferred | 448 | 67.2% |
| Dropped Out | 217 | 32.5% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 92% |
| Black / African-American | 91% |
| Hawaiian | 67% |
| Hispanic | 90% |
| International | 91% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 87% |
| Unknown | 87% |
| White | 89% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 Boston U are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Boston University represent 81.80% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Boston U graduation rate was 87%, and by the eight year mark, 87% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Boston U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 80% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 87% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 87% | 47.82% |
506 first-time / full-time students or 13% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
346 transferred to another institution.
Boston U lost contact with the remaining 160 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 346 | 68.38% |
| Dropped Out | 160 | 31.62% |
First-time / part-time students at Boston University represent 0.04% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Boston U graduation rate was 0%, and by the eight year mark, 0% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | Boston U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 0% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 0% | 23.72% |
2 first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
Boston U lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 1 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 50.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Boston University represent 16.40% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Boston U graduation rate was 85%, and by the eight year mark, 85% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Boston U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 85% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 55.07% |
118 non first-time / part-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
79 transferred to another institution.
Boston U lost contact with the remaining 38 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.85% |
| Transferred | 79 | 66.95% |
| Dropped Out | 38 | 32.20% |
Returning / part-time students at Boston University represent 1.77% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Boston U graduation rate was 51%, and by the eight year mark, 53% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Boston U | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 38% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 51% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 53% | 37.80% |
41 non first-time / part-time students or 47% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
22 transferred to another institution.
Boston U lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.44% |
| Transferred | 22 | 53.66% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 43.90% |
