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CIU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

70% 4-Year Graduation Rate
69% 6-Year Graduation Rate
69% Retention Rate

Columbia International University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Are students coming back to CIU after their first year? Are CIU students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.

CIU Retention Rate

69% Freshmen Retention Rate
Below Average Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, CIU 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 South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.

CIU Retention  69 out of 100
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100%
South Carolina Retention  66 out of 100
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100%
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Retention Rate
CIU69%
Nationwide70.57%
South Carolina65.91%
Low retention rates may be a signal that a lot of students plan on transferring after a year or two. Is that the case here?

CIU Graduation Rates

69% 6-Year Graduation Rate
19.90% Transfer Rate
8.25% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 142 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

70% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 69% in six years, and 71% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of CIU is 69%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

The average length of time it takes an CIU undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.08 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  67%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  69%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  71%
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100%

CIU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years13767%
Six Years14269%
Eight Years52%
Did Not Complete5929%
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.
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CIU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 59 students or 29% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 59 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.0%
Transferred4169.5%
Dropped Out1728.8%

CIU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
Black / African-American36%
Hispanic75%
International50%
Multi-Ethnic75%
Unknown88%
White68%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

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 CIU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time CIU Graduation Rates

49% First-Time, Full-Time
72% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Columbia International University represent 49% of the students in the class of 2015, and 51.41% of CIU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 70%, first-time students in the CIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the CIU graduation rate was 72%, and by the eight year mark, 75% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  70 out of 100
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Six Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  75 out of 100
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100%

CIU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsCIUNationwide
Four Years70%37.92%
Six Years72%46.43%
Eight Years75%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time CIU Drop Out Rates

25 first-time / full-time students or 25% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred1872.00%
Dropped Out728.00%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2% First-Time, Part-Time
20% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Columbia International University represent 2.43% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 20%, first-time, part-time students in the CIU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  20 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  40 out of 100
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100%

First-Time / Part-Time CIU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsCIUNationwide
Four Years20%14.37%
Six Years20%21.59%
Eight Years40%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time CIU Drop Out Rates

3 first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred266.67%
Dropped Out133.33%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

46% Returning, Full-Time
69% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

95 CIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 46.12% 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 69%, 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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  69 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  71 out of 100
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100%

CIU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsCIUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years69%53.83%
Eight Years71%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time CIU Drop Out Rates

28 non first-time / part-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled13.57%
Transferred2071.43%
Dropped Out725.00%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2% Returning, Part-Time
40% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

5 CIU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 2.43% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 40%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 40%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  40 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  40 out of 100
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100%

CIU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsCIUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years40%36.03%
Eight Years40%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time CIU Drop Out Rates

3 non first-time / part-time students or 60% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred133.33%
Dropped Out266.67%

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