by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at CCS? 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 70% students making it past their freshmen year, CCS 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 Michigan, the average is 70.80%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CCS | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Michigan | 70.80% |
How many of the estimated 249 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 41% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 56% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.
The official graduation rate of CCS is 56%. 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 CCS undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.42 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 186 | 42% |
| Six Years | 249 | 56% |
| Eight Years | 18 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 178 | 40% |
Approximately 178 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 178 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
37 transferred to another institution.
CCS lost contact with the remaining 136 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 37 | 20.8% |
| Dropped Out | 136 | 76.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 33% |
| Black / African-American | 42% |
| Hispanic | 60% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 54% |
| Unknown | 70% |
| 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.
The majority of students at CCS are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at College for Creative Studies represent 50% of the students in the class of 2015, and 51.81% of CCS bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 41%, first-time students in the CCS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the CCS graduation rate was 58%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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 | CCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 41% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 58% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 64% | 47.82% |
80 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
CCS lost contact with the remaining 62 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 14 | 17.50% |
| Dropped Out | 62 | 77.50% |
First-time / part-time students at College for Creative Studies represent 4.72% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the CCS class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 19%.
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.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | CCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
17 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
CCS lost contact with the remaining 14 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 17.65% |
| Dropped Out | 14 | 82.35% |
169 CCS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 37.98% 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 60%, 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 62%.
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 | CCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 60% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
64 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
19 transferred to another institution.
CCS lost contact with the remaining 45 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 19 | 29.69% |
| Dropped Out | 45 | 70.31% |
34 CCS students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 7.64% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 47%, 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 50%.
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | CCS | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 47% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
17 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
1 transferred to another institution.
CCS lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 5.88% |
| Transferred | 1 | 5.88% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 88.24% |
