Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Carnegie Mellon University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Are students coming back to Carnegie Mellon after their first year? Are Carnegie Mellon students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.

• Carnegie Mellon Retention Rate
• Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• Carnegie Mellon Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

Carnegie Mellon Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 96% students making it past their freshmen year, Carnegie Mellon has freshmen retention rates above 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%.

Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rates

How many of the estimated 1,311 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

Four years after beginning their degree, 76% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 86% of the students had graduated and after eight years 88% of this class completed their degree.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Carnegie Mellon graduation rate 86%.

The average Carnegie Mellon student takes 4.19 years to graduate with their bachelors.

Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rates vs. National Average

Request More Info About Carnegie Mellon University >

Carnegie Mellon Drop Out Rate

Approximately 177 students or 12% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 177 students who did not complete their degree?

• 2 are still enrolled.

• 95 transferred to another institution.

• Carnegie Mellon lost contact with the remaining 79 who we assumed dropped out.

Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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. 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 Carnegie Mellon 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 Carnegie Mellon Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Carnegie Mellon University represent 95% of the students in the class of 2015, and 97.25% of Carnegie Mellon bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 76%, first-time students in the Carnegie Mellon class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Carnegie Mellon graduation rate was 89%, and by the eight year mark, 91% 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.

Carnegie Mellon First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

First-Time / Full-Time Carnegie Mellon Drop Out Rates

130 first-time / full-time students or 9% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 2 are still enrolled.

• 95 transferred to another institution.

• Carnegie Mellon lost contact with the remaining 32 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Carnegie Mellon first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

81 Carnegie Mellon students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.33% 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 42%, 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 42%.

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.

Carnegie Mellon Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

Non First-Time / Full-Time Carnegie Mellon Drop Out Rates

47 non first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 0 transferred to another institution.

• Carnegie Mellon lost contact with the remaining 47 who we assumed dropped out.

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2 Carnegie Mellon students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.13% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 100%, 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 100%.

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.

Carnegie Mellon Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• Image Credit: By Daderot under License