Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at Clemson. Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at Clemson
- Graduation Rates at Clemson University
Clemson Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 93.0% of students staying on for a second year, Clemson University is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 71.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina, the average is 69.0%.
Clemson Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 80.9% of Clemson Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Clemson, there were 3,880 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2012. By 2014, six years after beginning their degree, 80.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 81.7% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 18.3% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 710 students, 15 were still working towards their degree, 352 had transferred to a different institution, and Clemson lost contact with the remaining 342 whom we assume dropped out.
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 (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-Time / Full-time Students at Clemson Represent 73.9% of the Class of 2012 and 75.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 59.0%, first-time students in the Clemson class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 82.3% and by 2016, 83.1% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 32.8% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
The Graduation Rate at Clemson is About What we had Anticipated
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to Clemson, we expected that after six years about 81.0% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Clemson
16.9% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 484 students, 12 were still working towards their degree, 284 had transferred to a different institution, and Clemson lost contact with the remaining 188 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Clemson Represent 1.4% of the Class of 2012 and 0.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 43.6%, first-time students in the Clemson class of 2012 who attended classes part-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 45.4%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 22.2% after six years and 24.5% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Clemson
54.6% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 30 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 12 had transferred to a different institution, and Clemson lost contact with the remaining 18 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Clemson Represent 22.7% of the Class of 2012 and 23.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 82.3%, returning students in the Clemson class of 2012 who attended classes full-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 83.1%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 55.0% after six years and 56.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Clemson
16.9% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 149 students, 3 were still working towards their degree, 24 had transferred to a different institution, and Clemson lost contact with the remaining 122 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Clemson Represent 2.0% of the Class of 2012 and 1.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 39.2%, returning students in the Clemson class of 2012 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 41.8%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.8% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Clemson
58.2% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2012 had not Completed Their Degree by 2016
Of these 46 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 32 had transferred to a different institution, and Clemson lost contact with the remaining 14 whom we assume dropped out.
