by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Saint Mary 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, Saint Mary 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 Nebraska, the average is 73.00%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Saint Mary | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Nebraska | 73.00% |
There were approximately 151 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
33% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 59% in six years, and 59% in eight years.
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 Saint Mary graduation rate 59%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Saint Mary? The standard length of time for most students is 4.22 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 130 | 51% |
| Six Years | 151 | 59% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 105 | 41% |
Approximately 105 students or 41% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 105 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
85 transferred to another institution.
Saint Mary lost contact with the remaining 20 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 85 | 81.0% |
| Dropped Out | 20 | 19.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Hispanic | 46% |
| White | 67% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 Saint Mary are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
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 College of Saint Mary represent 35% of the students in the class of 2015, and 27.81% of Saint Mary bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 33%, first-time students in the Saint Mary class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Saint Mary graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | Saint Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 33% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 47% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
47 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
Saint Mary lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 43 | 91.49% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 8.51% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Saint Mary first-time, part-time students.
145 Saint Mary students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 56.42% 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 68%, 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 68%.
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 | Saint Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 68% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 68% | 55.07% |
47 non first-time / part-time students or 32% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
34 transferred to another institution.
Saint Mary lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 34 | 72.34% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 27.66% |
22 Saint Mary students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.56% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 50%, 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 | Saint Mary | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 50% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
11 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
8 transferred to another institution.
Saint Mary lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 8 | 72.73% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 27.27% |
