by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Mines? 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 92% students making it past their freshmen year, Mines 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 Colorado, the average is 70.70%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Mines | 92% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Colorado | 70.70% |
How many of the estimated 780 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
Four years after beginning their degree, 55% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 75% of the students had graduated and after eight years 77% 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 Mines graduation rate 75%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Mines? The standard length of time for most students is 4.28 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 556 | 54% |
| Six Years | 780 | 75% |
| Eight Years | 12 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 242 | 23% |
Approximately 242 students or 23% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 242 students who did not complete their degree?
4 are still enrolled.
190 transferred to another institution.
Mines lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 1.7% |
| Transferred | 190 | 78.5% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 20.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 75% |
| Asian | 92% |
| Black / African-American | 100% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 81% |
| International | 84% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 85% |
| White | 84% |
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 Mines 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 Colorado School of Mines represent 85% of the students in the class of 2015, and 90.00% of Mines bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 55%, first-time students in the Mines class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Mines graduation rate was 80%, and by the eight year mark, 81% 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 | Mines | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 55% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 80% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 47.82% |
164 first-time / full-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
128 transferred to another institution.
Mines lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.44% |
| Transferred | 128 | 78.05% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 20.73% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Mines first-time, part-time students.
135 Mines students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.03% 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 52%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 52%.
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 | Mines | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
65 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
52 transferred to another institution.
Mines lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.54% |
| Transferred | 52 | 80.00% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 18.46% |
21 Mines students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.03% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 38%, 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 38%.
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 | Mines | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 38% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 37.80% |
13 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Mines lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 76.92% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 23.08% |
