Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Colorado State's 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 Colorado State. 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 Colorado State
- Graduation Rates at Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Colorado State Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 86.0% of students staying on for a second year, Colorado State University - Fort Collins 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 72.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Colorado, the average is 66.0%.
Colorado State 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, 65.0% of Colorado State Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Colorado State, there were 5,949 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2013. By 2015, six years after beginning their degree, 65.0% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 66.6% 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 33.4% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,990 students, 53 were still working towards their degree, 362 had transferred to a different institution, and Colorado State lost contact with the remaining 1,574 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 Colorado State Represent 73.7% of the Class of 2013 and 74.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 39.0%, first-time students in the Colorado State class of 2013 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 65.2% and by 2017, 67.0% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 33.4% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
Colorado State is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
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 Colorado State, we expected that after six years about 69.1% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Colorado State
33.0% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 1,448 students, 38 were still working towards their degree, 295 had transferred to a different institution, and Colorado State lost contact with the remaining 1,115 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Colorado State Represent 5.2% of the Class of 2013 and 3.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 39.2%, first-time students in the Colorado State class of 2013 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 41.5%.
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 Colorado State
58.5% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 182 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 3 had transferred to a different institution, and Colorado State lost contact with the remaining 179 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Colorado State Represent 18.6% of the Class of 2013 and 20.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 72.8%, returning students in the Colorado State class of 2013 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 73.5%.
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 Colorado State
26.5% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 293 students, 10 were still working towards their degree, 59 had transferred to a different institution, and Colorado State lost contact with the remaining 224 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Colorado State Represent 2.4% of the Class of 2013 and 2.0% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 52.4%, returning students in the Colorado State class of 2013 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 54.5%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.7% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Colorado State
45.5% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 66 students, 5 were still working towards their degree, 5 had transferred to a different institution, and Colorado State lost contact with the remaining 56 whom we assume dropped out.
