by our College Data Analytics TeamMake 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.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 59% students making it past their freshmen year, CU 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| CU | 59% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
There were approximately 393 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 48% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 55% of the students had graduated and after eight years 55% 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 CU graduation rate 55%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 342 | 48% |
| Six Years | 393 | 55% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 320 | 45% |
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 320 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 320 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
178 transferred to another institution.
CU lost contact with the remaining 142 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 178 | 55.6% |
| Dropped Out | 142 | 44.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 25% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 27% |
| Hispanic | 55% |
| International | 33% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 100% |
| Unknown | 60% |
| White | 46% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Cumberland University represent 62.59% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CU graduation rate was 49%, and by the eight year mark, 50% 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 | CU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 38% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 49% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 47.82% |
225 first-time / full-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
124 transferred to another institution.
CU lost contact with the remaining 101 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 124 | 55.11% |
| Dropped Out | 101 | 44.89% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Cumberland University.
Returning / full-time students at Cumberland University represent 33.94% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CU graduation rate was 65%, and by the eight year mark, 66% 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 | CU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 55.07% |
84 non first-time / part-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
CU lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 47 | 55.95% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 44.05% |
Returning / part-time students at Cumberland University represent 3.48% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the CU graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 56% 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 | CU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 56% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 56% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 37.80% |
11 non first-time / part-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
CU lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 7 | 63.64% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 36.36% |
