by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding CBC 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.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on the retention rate for Columbia Basin College.
There were approximately 3072 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 39% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 43% of the students had graduated and after eight years 44% 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 CBC graduation rate 43%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2790 | 39% |
| Six Years | 3072 | 43% |
| Eight Years | 92 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 4009 | 56% |
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 4009 students or 56% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 4009 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1299 transferred to another institution.
CBC lost contact with the remaining 2562 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1299 | 32.4% |
| Dropped Out | 2562 | 63.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 17% |
| Asian | 27% |
| Black / African-American | 18% |
| Hispanic | 24% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 26% |
| Unknown | 38% |
| White | 32% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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.
A meaningful share of students at CBC are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Columbia Basin College represent 19.07% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CBC graduation rate was 35%, and by the eight year mark, 36% 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 | CBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 30% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 35% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 47.82% |
879 first-time / full-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
40 are still enrolled.
261 transferred to another institution.
CBC lost contact with the remaining 578 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 40 | 4.55% |
| Transferred | 261 | 29.69% |
| Dropped Out | 578 | 65.76% |
First-time / part-time students at Columbia Basin College represent 12.56% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CBC graduation rate was 25%, and by the eight year mark, 26% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | CBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 25% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 26% | 23.72% |
667 first-time / part-time students or 74% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
28 are still enrolled.
255 transferred to another institution.
CBC lost contact with the remaining 384 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 28 | 4.20% |
| Transferred | 255 | 38.23% |
| Dropped Out | 384 | 57.57% |
Returning / full-time students at Columbia Basin College represent 24.06% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CBC graduation rate was 57%, and by the eight year mark, 58% 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 | CBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 57% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 55.07% |
723 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
21 are still enrolled.
214 transferred to another institution.
CBC lost contact with the remaining 488 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 21 | 2.90% |
| Transferred | 214 | 29.60% |
| Dropped Out | 488 | 67.50% |
Returning / part-time students at Columbia Basin College represent 44.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CBC graduation rate was 44%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | CBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 40% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 44% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 37.80% |
1740 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
59 are still enrolled.
569 transferred to another institution.
CBC lost contact with the remaining 1112 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 59 | 3.39% |
| Transferred | 569 | 32.70% |
| Dropped Out | 1112 | 63.91% |
