Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Bristol Community College
- Graduation Rates at Bristol Community College
Bristol Community College Has a Lower Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
In order to graduate you have to make it past freshman year. With only 60.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Bristol 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 Massachusetts , the average is 76.0% .
Bristol 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, 28.8% of Bristol Community College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Bristol Community College , there were 3,386 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 28.8% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 30.8% 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 69.2% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 2,345 students, 93 were still working towards their degree, 524 had transferred to a different institution, and Bristol Community College lost contact with the remaining 1,727 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 Bristol Community College Represent 53.3% of the Class of 2015 and 55.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of N/A , first-time students in the Bristol Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 30.3% and by 2019 ,32.2% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Bristol Community College
67.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 1,223 students, 44 were still working towards their degree, 298 had transferred to a different institution, and Bristol Community College lost contact with the remaining 881 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Bristol Community College Represent 23.5% of the Class of 2015 and 15.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 17.1% , first-time students in the Bristol 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 20.7% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Bristol Community College
79.3% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 631 students, 32 were still working towards their degree, 81 had transferred to a different institution, and Bristol Community College lost contact with the remaining 518 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Bristol Community College Represent 9.8% of the Class of 2015 and 13.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 40.2% , returning students in the Bristol 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 40.8% .
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 Bristol Community College
59.2% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 197 students, 9 were still working towards their degree, 77 had transferred to a different institution, and Bristol Community College lost contact with the remaining 111 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Bristol Community College Represent 13.4% of the Class of 2015 and 15.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 34.9% , returning students in the Bristol 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 35.3% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Bristol Community College
64.7% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 293 students, 8 were still working towards their degree, 68 had transferred to a different institution, and Bristol Community College lost contact with the remaining 217 whom we assume dropped out.