by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Lehman 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 73% students making it past their freshmen year, Lehman 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 | |
|---|---|
| Lehman | 73% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New York | 73.51% |
Of the 2350 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 45% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 56% of the students had graduated and after eight years 59% 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 Lehman graduation rate 56%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1891 | 45% |
| Six Years | 2350 | 56% |
| Eight Years | 95 | 3% |
| Did Not Complete | 1721 | 41% |
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 1721 students or 41% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1721 students who did not complete their degree?
9 are still enrolled.
761 transferred to another institution.
Lehman lost contact with the remaining 888 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 0.5% |
| Transferred | 761 | 44.2% |
| Dropped Out | 888 | 51.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 54% |
| Black / African-American | 50% |
| Hawaiian | 50% |
| Hispanic | 48% |
| International | 49% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 42% |
| White | 52% |
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 Lehman are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at CUNY Lehman College represent 16.51% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Lehman graduation rate was 53%, and by the eight year mark, 56% 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 | Lehman | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 27% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 53% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 47.82% |
301 first-time / full-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
161 transferred to another institution.
Lehman lost contact with the remaining 131 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.99% |
| Transferred | 161 | 53.49% |
| Dropped Out | 131 | 43.52% |
First-time / part-time students at CUNY Lehman College represent 0.91% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Lehman graduation rate was 11%, and by the eight year mark, 16% 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 | Lehman | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 3% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 23.72% |
32 first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
Lehman lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 6.25% |
| Transferred | 13 | 40.62% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 53.12% |
Returning / full-time students at CUNY Lehman College represent 50.50% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Lehman graduation rate was 66%, and by the eight year mark, 67% 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 | Lehman | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 66% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 55.07% |
693 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
29 are still enrolled.
279 transferred to another institution.
Lehman lost contact with the remaining 385 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 29 | 4.18% |
| Transferred | 279 | 40.26% |
| Dropped Out | 385 | 55.56% |
Returning / part-time students at CUNY Lehman College represent 32.07% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Lehman graduation rate was 45%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | Lehman | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 34% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 45% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 37.80% |
695 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
32 are still enrolled.
308 transferred to another institution.
Lehman lost contact with the remaining 355 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 32 | 4.60% |
| Transferred | 308 | 44.32% |
| Dropped Out | 355 | 51.08% |
