by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at CalArts? 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.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 60% students making it past their freshmen year, CalArts 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 | |
|---|---|
| CalArts | 60% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
How many of the estimated 180 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 61% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 70% of the students had graduated and after eight years 71% 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 CalArts graduation rate 70%.
The average CalArts student takes 4.18 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 162 | 63% |
| Six Years | 180 | 70% |
| Eight Years | 2 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 75 | 29% |
Approximately 75 students or 29% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 75 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
30 transferred to another institution.
CalArts lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 30 | 40.0% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 58.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 77% |
| Black / African-American | 61% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 61% |
| International | 74% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 64% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 CalArts are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at California Institute of the Arts represent 52% of the students in the class of 2015, and 49.44% of CalArts bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 61%, first-time students in the CalArts class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the CalArts graduation rate was 67%, and by the eight year mark, 68% 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 | CalArts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 61% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 67% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 47.82% |
43 first-time / full-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
18 transferred to another institution.
CalArts lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 18 | 41.86% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 55.81% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on CalArts first-time, part-time students.
122 CalArts students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 47.47% 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 74%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 75%.
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 | CalArts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 74% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 75% | 55.07% |
31 non first-time / part-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
CalArts lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 38.71% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 61.29% |
2 CalArts students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.78% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 50%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.
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 | CalArts | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
CalArts lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
