Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Lehman's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at Lehman . Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.

On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at Lehman
- Graduation Rates at Lehman College
Lehman Has a Better Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
With 81.0% of students making it past their freshman year, Lehman College has freshman retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0% . When looking at just colleges and universities in New York , the average is 73.0% .
Lehman Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 51.2% of Lehman Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Lehman , there were 3,144 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2016 . By 2018 , six years after beginning their degree, 51.2% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 54.8% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 45.2% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,423 students, 72 were still working towards their degree, 586 had transferred to a different institution, and Lehman lost contact with the remaining 764 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
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 Lehman Represent 20.4% of the Class of 2016 and 18.9% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 20.0% , first-time students in the Lehman class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 44.9% and by 2020 ,50.8% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 35.8% after four years, 46.4% after six years, and 47.8% after eight years.
Lehman is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to Lehman , we expected that after six years about 49.7% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Lehman
49.2% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 316 students, 20 were still working towards their degree, 148 had transferred to a different institution, and Lehman lost contact with the remaining 148 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Lehman Represent 0.9% of the Class of 2016 and 0.3% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 10.7% , first-time students in the Lehman class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were less likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 17.9% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 21.6% after six years and 23.7% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Lehman
82.1% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 23 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 7 had transferred to a different institution, and Lehman lost contact with the remaining 15 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Lehman Represent 47.6% of the Class of 2016 and 54.5% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 59.6% , returning students in the Lehman class of 2016 who attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 62.7% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 53.8% after six years and 55.1% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Lehman
37.3% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 559 students, 38 were still working towards their degree, 202 had transferred to a different institution, and Lehman lost contact with the remaining 319 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Lehman Represent 31.0% of the Class of 2016 and 26.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 43.6% , returning students in the Lehman class of 2016 who attended classes part-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 46.3% .
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.0% after six years and 37.8% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Lehman
53.7% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 524 students, 13 were still working towards their degree, 229 had transferred to a different institution, and Lehman lost contact with the remaining 282 whom we assume dropped out.