Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how CIU'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 CIU . 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 CIU
- Graduation Rates at Columbia International University
CIU Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 86.0% of students staying on for a second year, Columbia International University 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 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina , the average is 61.0% .
CIU 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, 68.9% of CIU Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At CIU , there were 206 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2016 . By 2018 , six years after beginning their degree, 68.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 71.4% 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 28.6% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 60 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 41 had transferred to a different institution, and CIU lost contact with the remaining 17 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 CIU Represent 49.0% of the Class of 2016 and 51.7% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 58.0% , first-time students in the CIU class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 72.3% and by 2020 ,75.2% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
CIU is Graduating Students Faster 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 CIU , we expected that after six years about 49.2% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at CIU
24.8% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 25 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 18 had transferred to a different institution, and CIU lost contact with the remaining 7 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at CIU Represent 2.4% of the Class of 2016 and 1.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 20.0% , first-time students in the CIU class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 40.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at CIU
60.0% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 3 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 2 had transferred to a different institution, and CIU lost contact with the remaining 1 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at CIU Represent 46.1% of the Class of 2016 and 45.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 69.5% , returning students in the CIU class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 70.5% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at CIU
29.5% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 28 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 20 had transferred to a different institution, and CIU lost contact with the remaining 7 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at CIU Represent 2.4% of the Class of 2016 and 1.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 40.0% , returning students in the CIU class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 40.0% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at CIU
60.0% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 3 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 1 had transferred to a different institution, and CIU lost contact with the remaining 2 whom we assume dropped out.
