by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding CWU 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 70% students making it past their freshmen year, CWU has freshmen retention rates near 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%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CWU | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Washington | 73.95% |
Of the 2427 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 56% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 60% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% 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 CWU graduation rate 60%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2280 | 56% |
| Six Years | 2427 | 60% |
| Eight Years | 30 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 1618 | 40% |
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 1618 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1618 students who did not complete their degree?
12 are still enrolled.
884 transferred to another institution.
CWU lost contact with the remaining 734 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 12 | 0.7% |
| Transferred | 884 | 54.6% |
| Dropped Out | 734 | 45.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 12% |
| Asian | 54% |
| Black / African-American | 30% |
| Hawaiian | 24% |
| Hispanic | 45% |
| International | 38% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 39% |
| Unknown | 56% |
| White | 55% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at CWU are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Central Washington University represent 38.17% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CWU graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 57% 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 | CWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 51% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 56% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 57% | 47.82% |
673 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
409 transferred to another institution.
CWU lost contact with the remaining 264 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 409 | 60.77% |
| Dropped Out | 264 | 39.23% |
First-time / part-time students at Central Washington University represent 9.98% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CWU graduation rate was 43%, and by the eight year mark, 43% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | CWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 38% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 43% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 43% | 23.72% |
232 first-time / part-time students or 57% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
132 transferred to another institution.
CWU lost contact with the remaining 100 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 132 | 56.90% |
| Dropped Out | 100 | 43.10% |
Returning / full-time students at Central Washington University represent 34.64% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CWU graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 70% 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 | CWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 70% | 55.07% |
427 non first-time / part-time students or 30% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
200 transferred to another institution.
CWU lost contact with the remaining 227 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 200 | 46.84% |
| Dropped Out | 227 | 53.16% |
Returning / part-time students at Central Washington University represent 17.21% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CWU graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 59% 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 | CWU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 55% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 58% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 59% | 37.80% |
286 non first-time / part-time students or 41% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
143 transferred to another institution.
CWU lost contact with the remaining 143 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 143 | 50.00% |
| Dropped Out | 143 | 50.00% |
