Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Medgar'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 Medgar . 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 Medgar
- Graduation Rates at Medgar Evers College
Medgar Has a Lower Than Average Freshman Retention Rate
In order to graduate you have to make it past freshman year. With only 58.0% of students staying on to become sophomores, Medgar Evers College has freshman retention rates below 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% .
Medgar 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.
- 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?
Overall, 20.7% of Medgar Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Medgar , there were 2,614 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2016 . By 2018 , six years after beginning their degree, 20.7% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 23.7% 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 76.3% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 1,995 students, 56 were still working towards their degree, 928 had transferred to a different institution, and Medgar lost contact with the remaining 1,010 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 Medgar Represent 57.5% of the Class of 2016 and 46.9% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 6.0% , first-time students in the Medgar class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 16.1% and by 2020 ,19.4% 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.
Medgar 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 Medgar , we expected that after six years about 27.1% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Medgar
80.6% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 1,211 students, 29 were still working towards their degree, 526 had transferred to a different institution, and Medgar lost contact with the remaining 656 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Medgar Represent 4.4% of the Class of 2016 and 2.9% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 13.8% , first-time students in the Medgar class of 2016 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 15.5% .
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 Medgar
84.5% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 98 students, 6 were still working towards their degree, 31 had transferred to a different institution, and Medgar lost contact with the remaining 61 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Medgar Represent 22.1% of the Class of 2016 and 30.8% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 29.9% , returning students in the Medgar class of 2016 who attended classes full-time were among the least likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 33.0% .
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 Medgar
67.0% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 387 students, 6 were still working towards their degree, 206 had transferred to a different institution, and Medgar lost contact with the remaining 175 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Medgar Represent 16.0% of the Class of 2016 and 19.4% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 26.1% , returning students in the Medgar 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 28.7% .
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 Medgar
71.3% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2016 had not Completed Their Degree by 2020
Of these 298 students, 15 were still working towards their degree, 165 had transferred to a different institution, and Medgar lost contact with the remaining 118 whom we assume dropped out.