by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many CIA first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at CIA. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 88% students making it past their freshmen year, CIA 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 Ohio, the average is 69.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CIA | 88% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Ohio | 69.84% |
There were approximately 136 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 66% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 73% of the students had graduated and after eight years 73% 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 CIA graduation rate 73%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 124 | 66% |
| Six Years | 136 | 73% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 50 | 27% |
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 50 students or 27% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 50 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
CIA lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 13 | 26.0% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 74.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 83% |
| Black / African-American | 44% |
| Hispanic | 67% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 62% |
| White | 73% |
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.
The majority of students at CIA are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Cleveland Institute of Art represent 85.11% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CIA graduation rate was 73%, and by the eight year mark, 74% 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 | CIA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 66% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 73% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 47.82% |
42 first-time / full-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
CIA lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 13 | 30.95% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 69.05% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Cleveland Institute of Art.
Returning / full-time students at Cleveland Institute of Art represent 14.36% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CIA graduation rate was 69%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | CIA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 69% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 55.07% |
8 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
CIA lost contact with the remaining 8 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 8 | 100.00% |
Returning / part-time students at Cleveland Institute of Art represent 0.53% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CIA 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 | CIA | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 100% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 100% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
