by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Clarkson? 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 87% students making it past their freshmen year, Clarkson 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Clarkson | 87% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
There were approximately 717 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
71% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 74% in six years, and 75% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Clarkson is 74%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average length of time it takes an Clarkson undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.24 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 694 | 72% |
| Six Years | 717 | 74% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 242 | 25% |
Approximately 242 students or 25% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 242 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
181 transferred to another institution.
Clarkson lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.8% |
| Transferred | 181 | 74.8% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 24.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 25% |
| Asian | 74% |
| Black / African-American | 58% |
| Hispanic | 50% |
| International | 73% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 78% |
| Unknown | 67% |
| White | 78% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 Clarkson are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Clarkson University represent 88% of the students in the class of 2015, and 87.03% of Clarkson bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 71%, first-time students in the Clarkson class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Clarkson graduation rate was 73%, and by the eight year mark, 74% 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 | Clarkson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 71% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 73% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 47.82% |
222 first-time / full-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
172 transferred to another institution.
Clarkson lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.90% |
| Transferred | 172 | 77.48% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 22.07% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Clarkson first-time, part-time students.
113 Clarkson students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.70% 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 82%, 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 82%.
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 | Clarkson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 82% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 82% | 55.07% |
20 non first-time / part-time students or 18% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
9 transferred to another institution.
Clarkson lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 5.00% |
| Transferred | 9 | 45.00% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 50.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Clarkson returning, part-time students.
