by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many DTC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore DTC retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 53% students making it past their freshmen year, DTC has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| DTC | 53% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
Of the 187 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
15% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 16% in six years, and 16% in eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official DTC graduation rate 16%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 179 | 15% |
| Six Years | 187 | 16% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 968 | 84% |
Approximately 968 students or 84% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 968 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
327 transferred to another institution.
DTC lost contact with the remaining 639 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 327 | 33.8% |
| Dropped Out | 639 | 66.0% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 DTC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
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 Denmark Technical College represent 79% of the students in the class of 2015, and 77.54% of DTC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 15%, first-time students in the DTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the DTC graduation rate was 16%, and by the eight year mark, 16% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | DTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 15% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 16% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 47.82% |
764 first-time / full-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
216 transferred to another institution.
DTC lost contact with the remaining 546 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 216 | 28.27% |
| Dropped Out | 546 | 71.47% |
First-time / part-time students at Denmark Technical College represent 15.05% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 11%, first-time, part-time students in the DTC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 11%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | DTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 11% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 11% | 23.72% |
154 first-time / part-time students or 89% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
86 transferred to another institution.
DTC lost contact with the remaining 68 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 86 | 55.84% |
| Dropped Out | 68 | 44.16% |
65 DTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.62% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 35%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 35%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | DTC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 35% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 55.07% |
42 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
DTC lost contact with the remaining 22 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 20 | 47.62% |
| Dropped Out | 22 | 52.38% |
8 DTC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.69% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 0%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 0%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
8 non first-time / part-time students or 100% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
5 transferred to another institution.
DTC lost contact with the remaining 3 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 5 | 62.50% |
| Dropped Out | 3 | 37.50% |
