by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Cornell College first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Cornell College retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 74% students making it past their freshmen year, Cornell College has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Iowa, the average is 68.94%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Cornell College | 74% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Iowa | 68.94% |
How many of the estimated 278 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
After four years 66% of the cohort graduated. After six years 71% had completed their degree, and 71% after eight years.
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 Cornell College graduation rate 71%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Cornell College? The standard length of time for most students is 4.01 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 258 | 66% |
| Six Years | 278 | 71% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 113 | 29% |
Approximately 113 students or 29% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 113 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Cornell College lost contact with the remaining 36 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 77 | 68.1% |
| Dropped Out | 36 | 31.9% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 83% |
| Black / African-American | 38% |
| Hispanic | 65% |
| International | 40% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| Unknown | 40% |
| White | 73% |
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 Cornell College 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 students at Cornell College represent 86% of the students in the class of 2015, and 86.33% of Cornell College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 66%, first-time students in the Cornell College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Cornell College graduation rate was 71%, and by the eight year mark, 71% 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.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Cornell College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 66% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 71% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 47.82% |
98 first-time / full-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
77 transferred to another institution.
Cornell College lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 77 | 78.57% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 21.43% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Cornell College first-time, part-time students.
53 Cornell College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.55% 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 72%, 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 72%.
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.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Cornell College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 72% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 72% | 55.07% |
15 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Cornell College lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Cornell College returning, part-time students.
