by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Butte College? 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 64% students making it past their freshmen year, Butte College 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Butte College | 64% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
How many of the estimated 5,387 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 36% of the students had graduated and after eight years 38% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of Butte College is 36%. 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 | 4,764 | 32% |
| Six Years | 5,387 | 36% |
| Eight Years | 347 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 9,357 | 62% |
Approximately 9357 students or 62% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 9357 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
3720 transferred to another institution.
Butte College lost contact with the remaining 5375 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 3720 | 39.8% |
| Dropped Out | 5,375 | 57.4% |
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 Butte College 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 Butte College represent 7% of the students in the class of 2015, and 8.39% of Butte College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the Butte College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Butte College graduation rate was 41%, and by the eight year mark, 43% 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 | Butte College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 41% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 47.82% |
632 first-time / full-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
200 transferred to another institution.
Butte College lost contact with the remaining 418 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 200 | 31.65% |
| Dropped Out | 418 | 66.14% |
First-time / part-time students at Butte College represent 6.66% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the Butte College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 23%.
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 | Butte College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 20% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 23.72% |
778 first-time / part-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
31 are still enrolled.
183 transferred to another institution.
Butte College lost contact with the remaining 564 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 31 | 3.98% |
| Transferred | 183 | 23.52% |
| Dropped Out | 564 | 72.49% |
5520 Butte College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 36.58% 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 46%, 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 48%.
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 | Butte College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 46% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 55.07% |
2889 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
80 are still enrolled.
1414 transferred to another institution.
Butte College lost contact with the remaining 1395 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 80 | 2.77% |
| Transferred | 1414 | 48.94% |
| Dropped Out | 1,395 | 48.29% |
7452 Butte College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 49.38% 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 32%.
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 | Butte College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 30% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 37.80% |
5058 non first-time / part-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
137 are still enrolled.
1923 transferred to another institution.
Butte College lost contact with the remaining 2998 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 137 | 2.71% |
| Transferred | 1923 | 38.02% |
| Dropped Out | 2,998 | 59.27% |
