by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Columbia Junior 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 53% students making it past their freshmen year, Columbia Junior College has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Columbia Junior College | 53% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 872 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 28% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 23% of the students had graduated and after eight years 24% of this class completed their degree.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Columbia Junior College graduation rate 23%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 748 | 20% |
| Six Years | 872 | 23% |
| Eight Years | 46 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,868 | 76% |
Approximately 2868 students or 76% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2868 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
968 transferred to another institution.
Columbia Junior College lost contact with the remaining 1838 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 968 | 33.8% |
| Dropped Out | 1,838 | 64.1% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
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 Junior College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Columbia College represent 7% of the students in the class of 2015, and 9.17% of Columbia Junior College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 28%, first-time students in the Columbia Junior College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Columbia Junior College graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 33% 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 Junior College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 31% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 47.82% |
173 first-time / full-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
60 transferred to another institution.
Columbia Junior College lost contact with the remaining 112 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 60 | 34.68% |
| Dropped Out | 112 | 64.74% |
First-time / part-time students at Columbia College represent 11.81% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 12%, first-time, part-time students in the Columbia Junior College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 13%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Columbia Junior College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 8% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 12% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 13% | 23.72% |
388 first-time / part-time students or 87% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
11 are still enrolled.
96 transferred to another institution.
Columbia Junior College lost contact with the remaining 281 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 11 | 2.84% |
| Transferred | 96 | 24.74% |
| Dropped Out | 281 | 72.42% |
768 Columbia Junior College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 20.29% 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 44%, 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 45%.
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 Junior College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 44% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 55.07% |
421 non first-time / part-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
177 transferred to another institution.
Columbia Junior College lost contact with the remaining 240 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 0.95% |
| Transferred | 177 | 42.04% |
| Dropped Out | 240 | 57.01% |
2313 Columbia Junior College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 61.09% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 17%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.
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 | Columbia Junior College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 17% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 37.80% |
1886 non first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
46 are still enrolled.
635 transferred to another institution.
Columbia Junior College lost contact with the remaining 1205 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 46 | 2.44% |
| Transferred | 635 | 33.67% |
| Dropped Out | 1,205 | 63.89% |
