by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Earlham 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.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 83% students making it past their freshmen year, Earlham 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 Indiana, the average is 70.89%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Earlham | 83% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Indiana | 70.89% |
There were approximately 176 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 59% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 69% of the students had graduated and after eight years 70% of this class completed their degree.
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 Earlham graduation rate 69%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Earlham? The standard length of time for most students is 4.14 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 153 | 60% |
| Six Years | 176 | 69% |
| Eight Years | 3 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 77 | 30% |
Approximately 77 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 77 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
58 transferred to another institution.
Earlham lost contact with the remaining 19 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 58 | 75.3% |
| Dropped Out | 19 | 24.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 75% |
| Asian | 63% |
| Black / African-American | 69% |
| Hispanic | 64% |
| International | 84% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 80% |
| Unknown | 80% |
| White | 61% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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 Earlham are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Earlham College represent 93% of the students in the class of 2015, and 91.48% of Earlham bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 59%, first-time students in the Earlham class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Earlham graduation rate was 68%, and by the eight year mark, 69% 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 | Earlham | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 59% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 68% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 47.82% |
73 first-time / full-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
55 transferred to another institution.
Earlham lost contact with the remaining 18 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 55 | 75.34% |
| Dropped Out | 18 | 24.66% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Earlham first-time, part-time students.
19 Earlham students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 7.39% 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 79%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 79%.
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 | Earlham | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 79% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 79% | 55.07% |
4 non first-time / part-time students or 21% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Earlham lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 25.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Earlham returning, part-time students.
