Undergrad ProgramsGraduate Programs

CCD Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Community College of Denver 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at CCD? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.

• CCD Graduation Rate
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Full Time
  • Non-First Time Undergrads Attending Part Time
• CCD Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

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

With % students making it past their freshmen year, CCD 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 Colorado, the average is 70.70%.

	Retention Rate
CCD	%
Nationwide	70.57%
Colorado	70.70%

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?

CCD Graduation Rates

Of the 652 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

After four years 11% of the cohort graduated. After six years 10% had completed their degree, and 11% after eight years.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official CCD graduation rate 10%.

CCD Graduation Rates vs. National Average

Completion Within	Undergraduates	Percentage
Four Years	0	%
Six Years	652	10%
Eight Years	81	1%
Did Not Complete	5,654	89%

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.

CCD Drop Out Rate

Approximately 5654 students or 89% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 5654 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 2096 transferred to another institution.

• CCD lost contact with the remaining 3502 who we assumed dropped out.

Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.0%
Transferred	2096	37.1%
Dropped Out	3,502	61.9%

CCD Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity	Graduation Rate
Asian	16%
Black / African-American	11%
Hispanic	18%
International	34%
Multi-Ethnic	12%
White	18%

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 CCD 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 CCD Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Community College of Denver represent 19% of the students in the class of 2015, and 31.29% of CCD bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time students in the CCD class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the CCD graduation rate was 17%, and by the eight year mark, 18% 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.

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

First-Time / Full-Time Completions	CCD	Nationwide
Four Years	11%	37.92%
Six Years	17%	46.43%
Eight Years	18%	47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time CCD Drop Out Rates

993 first-time / full-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 421 transferred to another institution.

• CCD lost contact with the remaining 561 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.00%
Transferred	421	42.40%
Dropped Out	561	56.50%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

First-time / part-time students at Community College of Denver represent 42.12% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 6%, first-time, part-time students in the CCD class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 8%.

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.

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

First-Time / Part-Time Completions	CCD	Nationwide
Four Years	4%	14.37%
Six Years	6%	21.59%
Eight Years	8%	23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time CCD Drop Out Rates

2480 first-time / part-time students or 92% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 33 are still enrolled.

• 635 transferred to another institution.

• CCD lost contact with the remaining 1812 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	33	1.33%
Transferred	635	25.60%
Dropped Out	1,812	73.06%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

753 CCD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.76% 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 16%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 17%.

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.

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

Returning / Full-Time Completions	CCD	Nationwide
Four Years	0%	49.57%
Six Years	16%	53.83%
Eight Years	17%	55.07%

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

624 non first-time / part-time students or 83% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 4 are still enrolled.

• 373 transferred to another institution.

• CCD lost contact with the remaining 247 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	4	0.64%
Transferred	373	59.78%
Dropped Out	247	39.58%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1736 CCD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 27.12% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 9%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 10%.

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.

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

Returning / Part-Time Completions	CCD	Nationwide
Four Years	0%	30.46%
Six Years	9%	36.03%
Eight Years	10%	37.80%

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

1557 non first-time / part-time students or 90% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 8 are still enrolled.

• 667 transferred to another institution.

• CCD lost contact with the remaining 882 who we assumed dropped out.

Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	8	0.51%
Transferred	667	42.84%
Dropped Out	882	56.65%

More Resources:

• An Explanation of Freshman Retention Rates.

• How Common is it to Transfer to a Different College?

• Are Non-Traditional Students Less Likely to Graduate?

• How Many People Drop-Out of College?

• How Average Time to Graduate Can Affect the Value of Your Degree.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics