by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many CCBC first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at CCBC. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 54% students making it past their freshmen year, CCBC has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CCBC | 54% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
Of the 265 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 28% of the students had graduated and after eight years 30% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical CCBC graduation rate 28%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 225 | 24% |
| Six Years | 265 | 28% |
| Eight Years | 17 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 655 | 70% |
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.
Approximately 655 students or 70% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 655 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
376 transferred to another institution.
CCBC lost contact with the remaining 269 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 376 | 57.4% |
| Dropped Out | 269 | 41.1% |
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.
A meaningful share of students at CCBC are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Community College of Beaver County represent 41.66% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CCBC graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 32% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | CCBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 31% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 47.82% |
264 first-time / full-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
156 transferred to another institution.
CCBC lost contact with the remaining 107 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.38% |
| Transferred | 156 | 59.09% |
| Dropped Out | 107 | 40.53% |
First-time / part-time students at Community College of Beaver County represent 32.84% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CCBC graduation rate was 19%, and by the eight year mark, 22% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, and 23.72% after eight years.
| Completions | CCBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 14% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 19% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
240 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
8 are still enrolled.
116 transferred to another institution.
CCBC lost contact with the remaining 116 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 8 | 3.33% |
| Transferred | 116 | 48.33% |
| Dropped Out | 116 | 48.33% |
Returning / full-time students at Community College of Beaver County represent 11.48% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CCBC graduation rate was 35%, and by the eight year mark, 38% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | CCBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 35% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 55.07% |
67 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
43 transferred to another institution.
CCBC lost contact with the remaining 24 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 43 | 64.18% |
| Dropped Out | 24 | 35.82% |
Returning / part-time students at Community College of Beaver County represent 14.03% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CCBC graduation rate was 34%, and by the eight year mark, 36% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | CCBC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 28% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 37.80% |
84 non first-time / part-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
61 transferred to another institution.
CCBC lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.19% |
| Transferred | 61 | 72.62% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 26.19% |
