Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Community College of Allegheny County'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 Community College of Allegheny County . 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 Community College of Allegheny County
- Graduation Rates at Community College of Allegheny County
Community College of Allegheny County Has a Lower Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
In order to graduate you have to make it past freshman year. With only 60.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Community College of Allegheny County 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 Pennsylvania , the average is 75.0% .
Community College of Allegheny County 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, 17.8% of Community College of Allegheny County Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Community College of Allegheny County , there were 9,021 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2015 . By 2017 , six years after beginning their degree, 17.8% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 19.8% 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 80.2% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 7,234 students, 268 were still working towards their degree, 2,552 had transferred to a different institution, and Community College of Allegheny County lost contact with the remaining 4,413 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 Community College of Allegheny County Represent 37.8% of the Class of 2015 and 42.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of N/A , first-time students in the Community College of Allegheny County class of 2015 who attended classes full-time After six years, the graduation rate was 19.8% and by 2019 ,22.4% 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 Community College of Allegheny County
77.6% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 2,645 students, 129 were still working towards their degree, 889 had transferred to a different institution, and Community College of Allegheny County lost contact with the remaining 1,627 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Community College of Allegheny County Represent 36.3% of the Class of 2015 and 31.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 15.5% , first-time students in the Community College of Allegheny County class of 2015 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 17.2% .
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 Community College of Allegheny County
82.8% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 2,710 students, 94 were still working towards their degree, 739 had transferred to a different institution, and Community College of Allegheny County lost contact with the remaining 1,877 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Community College of Allegheny County Represent 10.9% of the Class of 2015 and 13.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 23.0% , returning students in the Community College of Allegheny County 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 24.4% .
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 Community College of Allegheny County
75.6% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 744 students, 28 were still working towards their degree, 382 had transferred to a different institution, and Community College of Allegheny County lost contact with the remaining 334 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Community College of Allegheny County Represent 15.0% of the Class of 2015 and 12.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 14.9% , returning students in the Community College of Allegheny County class of 2015 who attended classes part-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 16.4% .
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 Community College of Allegheny County
83.6% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2015 had not Completed Their Degree by 2019
Of these 1,134 students, 17 were still working towards their degree, 542 had transferred to a different institution, and Community College of Allegheny County lost contact with the remaining 575 whom we assume dropped out.