by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Hunter 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 Hunter. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 78% students making it past their freshmen year, Hunter 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 New York, the average is 73.51%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Hunter | 78% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
There were approximately 2847 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 40% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 56% of the students had graduated and after eight years 58% 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 Hunter graduation rate 56%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2065 | 40% |
| Six Years | 2847 | 56% |
| Eight Years | 112 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 2162 | 42% |
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 2162 students or 42% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2162 students who did not complete their degree?
27 are still enrolled.
1320 transferred to another institution.
Hunter lost contact with the remaining 783 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 27 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 1320 | 61.1% |
| Dropped Out | 783 | 36.2% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 66% |
| Black / African-American | 54% |
| Hawaiian | 50% |
| Hispanic | 57% |
| International | 63% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 62% |
| White | 59% |
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 Hunter are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at CUNY Hunter College represent 43.66% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Hunter graduation rate was 56%, and by the eight year mark, 58% 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 | Hunter | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 32% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 56% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 47.82% |
928 first-time / full-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
27 are still enrolled.
650 transferred to another institution.
Hunter lost contact with the remaining 251 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 27 | 2.91% |
| Transferred | 650 | 70.04% |
| Dropped Out | 251 | 27.05% |
First-time / part-time students at CUNY Hunter College represent 0.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Hunter graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 31% 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 | Hunter | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 31% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 31% | 23.72% |
11 first-time / part-time students or 69% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
7 transferred to another institution.
Hunter lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 9.09% |
| Transferred | 7 | 63.64% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 27.27% |
Returning / full-time students at CUNY Hunter College represent 40.64% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Hunter graduation rate was 63%, and by the eight year mark, 65% 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 | Hunter | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 63% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 65% | 55.07% |
732 non first-time / part-time students or 35% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
417 transferred to another institution.
Hunter lost contact with the remaining 302 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 1.78% |
| Transferred | 417 | 56.97% |
| Dropped Out | 302 | 41.26% |
Returning / part-time students at CUNY Hunter College represent 15.39% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Hunter 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 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Hunter | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 35% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 38% | 37.80% |
491 non first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
18 are still enrolled.
246 transferred to another institution.
Hunter lost contact with the remaining 227 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 18 | 3.67% |
| Transferred | 246 | 50.10% |
| Dropped Out | 227 | 46.23% |
