Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Columbus State Community College'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 Columbus State Community College . 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 Columbus State Community College
- Graduation Rates at Columbus State Community College
Columbus State Community College Has a Lower Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
In order to graduate you have to make it past freshman year. With only 61.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Columbus State Community College has freshman retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in Ohio , the average is 66.0% .
Columbus State Community College 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.
- 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?
Overall, 15.9% of Columbus State Community College Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Columbus State Community College , there were 12,622 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 15.9% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 17.2% 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 82.8% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 10,450 students, 179 were still working towards their degree, 3,908 had transferred to a different institution, and Columbus State Community College lost contact with the remaining 6,362 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 Columbus State Community College Represent 40.3% of the Class of 2015 and 39.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of N/A , first-time students in the Columbus State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 15.5% and by 2019 ,16.8% 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.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Columbus State Community College
83.2% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 4,229 students, 72 were still working towards their degree, 1,472 had transferred to a different institution, and Columbus State Community College lost contact with the remaining 2,685 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Columbus State Community College Represent 33.6% of the Class of 2015 and 21.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 9.7% , first-time students in the Columbus State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 11.1% .
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 Columbus State Community College
88.9% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 3,772 students, 70 were still working towards their degree, 1,130 had transferred to a different institution, and Columbus State Community College lost contact with the remaining 2,572 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Columbus State Community College Represent 12.8% of the Class of 2015 and 21.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 27.4% , returning students in the Columbus State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 28.9% .
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 Columbus State Community College
71.1% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 1,151 students, 19 were still working towards their degree, 638 had transferred to a different institution, and Columbus State Community College lost contact with the remaining 494 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Columbus State Community College Represent 13.3% of the Class of 2015 and 17.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 21.7% , returning students in the Columbus State Community College class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 22.8% .
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 Columbus State Community College
77.2% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 1,297 students, 18 were still working towards their degree, 668 had transferred to a different institution, and Columbus State Community College lost contact with the remaining 611 whom we assume dropped out.