by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at BC3? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 63% students making it past their freshmen year, BC3 has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| BC3 | 63% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 417 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
22% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 21% in six years, and 22% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of BC3 is 21%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 363 | 18% |
| Six Years | 417 | 21% |
| Eight Years | 17 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,546 | 78% |
Approximately 1546 students or 78% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1546 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
506 transferred to another institution.
BC3 lost contact with the remaining 811 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 506 | 32.7% |
| Dropped Out | 811 | 52.5% |
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 BC3 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 Butler County Community College represent 48% of the students in the class of 2015, and 56.59% of BC3 bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 22%, first-time students in the BC3 class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the BC3 graduation rate was 25%, and by the eight year mark, 26% 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 | BC3 | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 22% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 25% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 47.82% |
704 first-time / full-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
286 transferred to another institution.
BC3 lost contact with the remaining 353 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 286 | 40.63% |
| Dropped Out | 353 | 50.14% |
First-time / part-time students at Butler County Community College represent 37.98% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the BC3 class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 12%.
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 | BC3 | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 12% | 23.72% |
664 first-time / part-time students or 88% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
87 are still enrolled.
164 transferred to another institution.
BC3 lost contact with the remaining 413 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 87 | 13.10% |
| Transferred | 164 | 24.70% |
| Dropped Out | 413 | 62.20% |
162 BC3 students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.18% 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 38%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 39%.
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 | BC3 | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 38% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 55.07% |
99 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
41 are still enrolled.
29 transferred to another institution.
BC3 lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 41 | 41.41% |
| Transferred | 29 | 29.29% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 29.29% |
115 BC3 students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.81% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 30%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 31%.
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 | BC3 | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 30% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 37.80% |
79 non first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
36 are still enrolled.
27 transferred to another institution.
BC3 lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 36 | 45.57% |
| Transferred | 27 | 34.18% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 20.25% |
