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CWU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

31% 4-Year Graduation Rate
60% 6-Year Graduation Rate
70% Retention Rate

Central Washington University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

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

CWU Retention Rate

70% Freshmen Retention Rate
Below Average Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 70% students making it past their freshmen year, CWU 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 Washington, the average is 73.95%.

CWU Retention  70 out of 100
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100%
Washington Retention  74 out of 100
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Retention Rate
CWU70%
Nationwide70.57%
Washington73.95%
Low retention rates may be a signal that a lot of students plan on transferring after a year or two. Is that the case here?

CWU Graduation Rates

60% 6-Year Graduation Rate
23.22% Transfer Rate
14.43% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 2,405 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

31% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 60% in six years, and 62% in eight years.

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 CWU graduation rate 60%.

The typical CWU student takes 4.44 years to complete their bachelor's degree.

Four Year Graduation Rate  48%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  60%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  62%
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100%

CWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years1,93548%
Six Years2,40560%
Eight Years882%
Did Not Complete1,54938%
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.
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CWU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 1549 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 1549 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled60.4%
Transferred94160.7%
Dropped Out58537.8%

CWU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native38%
Asian53%
Black / African-American54%
Hawaiian38%
Hispanic50%
International42%
Multi-Ethnic50%
Unknown47%
White64%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

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 CWU 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 CWU Graduation Rates

39% First-Time, Full-Time
52% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Central Washington University represent 39% of the students in the class of 2015, and 34.47% of CWU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 31%, first-time students in the CWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the CWU graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 55% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  31 out of 100
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Six Year Graduation Rate  52 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  55 out of 100
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CWU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsCWUNationwide
Four Years31%37.92%
Six Years52%46.43%
Eight Years55%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time CWU Drop Out Rates

708 first-time / full-time students or 45% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled60.85%
Transferred46966.24%
Dropped Out22732.06%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1% First-Time, Part-Time
48% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Central Washington University represent 1.23% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 48%, first-time, part-time students in the CWU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  48 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  50 out of 100
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100%

First-Time / Part-Time CWU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsCWUNationwide
Four Years18%14.37%
Six Years48%21.59%
Eight Years50%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time CWU Drop Out Rates

25 first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled312.00%
Transferred1456.00%
Dropped Out832.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

45% Returning, Full-Time
68% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1812 CWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 44.71% 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 68%, 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 69%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  68 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  69 out of 100
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CWU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsCWUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years68%53.83%
Eight Years69%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time CWU Drop Out Rates

555 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled50.90%
Transferred31656.94%
Dropped Out23442.16%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

15% Returning, Part-Time
54% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

600 CWU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.80% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 54%, 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 56%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  54 out of 100
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Eight Year Graduation Rate  56 out of 100
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CWU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsCWUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years54%36.03%
Eight Years56%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time CWU Drop Out Rates

261 non first-time / part-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled31.15%
Transferred14254.41%
Dropped Out11644.44%

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