Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how 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 BYU. 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 BYU
- Graduation Rates at Brigham Young University - Provo
BYU Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 86.0% of students staying on for a second year, Brigham Young University - Provo is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 71.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Utah, the average is 69.0%.
BYU 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.
Overall, 78.5% of BYU Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At BYU, there were 4,146 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2012. By 2014, six years after beginning their degree, 78.5% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 85.3% 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 14.7% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 777 students, 21 were still working towards their degree, 555 had transferred to a different institution, and BYU lost contact with the remaining 200 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 BYU Represent 75.0% of the Class of 2012 and 81.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 31.0%, first-time students in the BYU class of 2012 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After six years, the graduation rate was 79.0% and by 2016, 86.6% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 32.8% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
BYU is Graduating Students Faster Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to BYU, we expected that after six years about 75.2% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at BYU
13.4% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 563 students, 15 were still working towards their degree, 407 had transferred to a different institution, and BYU lost contact with the remaining 141 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at BYU Represent 0.7% of the Class of 2012 and 0.7% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 58.6%, first-time students in the BYU class of 2012 who attended classes part-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 77.5%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 22.2% after six years and 24.5% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at BYU
22.5% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 9 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 8 had transferred to a different institution, and BYU lost contact with the remaining 0 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at BYU Represent 22.4% of the Class of 2012 and 17.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 79.7%, returning students in the BYU class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 81.6%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 55.0% after six years and 56.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at BYU
18.4% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 173 students, 4 were still working towards their degree, 120 had transferred to a different institution, and BYU lost contact with the remaining 49 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at BYU Represent 1.9% of the Class of 2012 and 1.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 49.4%, returning students in the BYU class of 2012 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 61.3%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.8% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at BYU
38.7% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 31 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 20 had transferred to a different institution, and BYU lost contact with the remaining 10 whom we assume dropped out.
