by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Columbia College 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.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 79% students making it past their freshmen year, Columbia College 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 Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Columbia College | 79% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
Of the 141 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 60% of the cohort graduated. After six years 62% had completed their degree, and 62% after 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 Columbia College graduation rate 62%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 137 | 60% |
| Six Years | 141 | 62% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 87 | 38% |
Approximately 87 students or 38% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 87 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
36 transferred to another institution.
Columbia College lost contact with the remaining 51 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 36 | 41.4% |
| Dropped Out | 51 | 58.6% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 Columbia College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Columbia College represent 94% of the students in the class of 2015, and 92.91% of Columbia College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 60%, first-time students in the Columbia College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Columbia College graduation rate was 61%, and by the eight year mark, 61% 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 | Columbia College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 60% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 61% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 61% | 47.82% |
83 first-time / full-time students or 39% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
Columbia College lost contact with the remaining 50 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 33 | 39.76% |
| Dropped Out | 50 | 60.24% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Columbia College first-time, part-time students.
14 Columbia College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.14% 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 71%, 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 71%.
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 | Columbia College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 71% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 55.07% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Columbia College lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 25.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Columbia College returning, part-time students.
