by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Carnegie Mellon retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 98% 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%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon | 98% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
How many of the estimated 1447 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 74% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 88% of the students had graduated and after eight years 90% 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 Carnegie Mellon graduation rate 88%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1211 | 74% |
| Six Years | 1447 | 88% |
| Eight Years | 22 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 171 | 10% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 171 students or 10% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 171 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
Carnegie Mellon lost contact with the remaining 110 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 59 | 34.5% |
| Dropped Out | 110 | 64.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 93% |
| Black / African-American | 86% |
| Hispanic | 91% |
| International | 94% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 88% |
| Unknown | 95% |
| White | 92% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Carnegie Mellon University represent 94.58% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Carnegie Mellon graduation rate was 91%, and by the eight year mark, 92% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Carnegie Mellon | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 76% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 91% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 92% | 47.82% |
117 first-time / full-time students or 8% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
59 transferred to another institution.
Carnegie Mellon lost contact with the remaining 56 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.71% |
| Transferred | 59 | 50.43% |
| Dropped Out | 56 | 47.86% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Carnegie Mellon University.
Returning / full-time students at Carnegie Mellon University represent 5.36% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Carnegie Mellon graduation rate was 39%, and by the eight year mark, 39% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Carnegie Mellon | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 39% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 55.07% |
54 non first-time / part-time students or 61% 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 54 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 54 | 100.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Carnegie Mellon University represent 0.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Carnegie Mellon graduation rate was 100%, and by the eight year mark, 100% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Carnegie Mellon | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 100% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
