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CU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

Cumberland University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding CU retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.

• CU Retention Rate
• CU 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
• CU Drop Out Rate
• Methodology & References

CU Retention Rate

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

With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, CU 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.

	Retention Rate
CU	66%
Nationwide	70.57%
Tennessee	71.48%

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?

CU Graduation Rates

There were approximately 304 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

36% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 60% in six years, and 60% in 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 CU graduation rate 60%.

The average CU student takes 4.30 years to graduate with their bachelors.

CU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

Completion Within	Undergraduates	Percentage
Four Years	0	%
Six Years	304	60%
Eight Years	0	0%
Did Not Complete	205	40%

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.

CU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 205 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 205 students who did not complete their degree?

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 136 transferred to another institution.

• CU lost contact with the remaining 69 who we assumed dropped out.

Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.0%
Transferred	136	66.3%
Dropped Out	69	33.7%

CU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity	Graduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native	100%
Black / African-American	25%
Hispanic	50%
International	60%
Unknown	52%
White	61%

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 CU 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 CU Graduation Rates

First-time / full-time students at Cumberland University represent 39% of the students in the class of 2015, and 31.58% of CU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the CU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the CU graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 49% 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.

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

First-Time / Full-Time Completions	CU	Nationwide
Four Years	36%	37.92%
Six Years	49%	46.43%
Eight Years	49%	47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time CU Drop Out Rates

100 first-time / full-time students or 51% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 74 transferred to another institution.

• CU lost contact with the remaining 26 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.00%
Transferred	74	74.00%
Dropped Out	26	26.00%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on CU first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

267 CU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 52.46% 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 69%, 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 69%.

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.

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

Returning / Full-Time Completions	CU	Nationwide
Four Years	0%	49.57%
Six Years	69%	53.83%
Eight Years	69%	55.07%

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

82 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 51 transferred to another institution.

• CU lost contact with the remaining 31 who we assumed dropped out.

First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.00%
Transferred	51	62.20%
Dropped Out	31	37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

46 CU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 9.04% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 50%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 50%.

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.

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

Returning / Part-Time Completions	CU	Nationwide
Four Years	0%	30.46%
Six Years	50%	36.03%
Eight Years	50%	37.80%

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

23 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

• 0 are still enrolled.

• 11 transferred to another institution.

• CU lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.

Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions	Undergraduates	Percentage
Still Enrolled	0	0.00%
Transferred	11	47.83%
Dropped Out	12	52.17%

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

• Image Credit: By Ichabod under License