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ECU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

36% 4-Year Graduation Rate
64% 6-Year Graduation Rate
83% Retention Rate

East Carolina University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at ECU? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.

ECU Retention Rate

83% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 83% students making it past their freshmen year, ECU 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.

ECU Retention  83 out of 100
0%
100%
North Carolina Retention  67 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
ECU83%
Nationwide70.57%
North Carolina66.53%

ECU Graduation Rates

64% 6-Year Graduation Rate
23.85% Transfer Rate
9.05% Dropout Rate

Of the 3,729 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

Four years after beginning their degree, 36% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 64% of the students had graduated and after eight years 66% 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 ECU graduation rate 64%.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at ECU? The standard length of time for most students is 4.44 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  45%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  64%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  66%
0%
100%

ECU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years2,58645%
Six Years3,72964%
Eight Years972%
Did Not Complete1,96934%
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.
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ECU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 1969 students or 34% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 1969 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled261.3%
Transferred138470.3%
Dropped Out52526.7%

ECU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native45%
Asian77%
Black / African-American65%
Hawaiian100%
Hispanic62%
International40%
Multi-Ethnic54%
Unknown60%
White66%

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. 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.

The majority of students at ECU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.

First-Time / Full-Time ECU Graduation Rates

67% First-Time, Full-Time
62% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at East Carolina University represent 67% of the students in the class of 2015, and 65.16% of ECU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 36%, first-time students in the ECU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the ECU graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 64% 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.

Four Year Graduation Rate  36 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  64 out of 100
0%
100%

ECU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsECUNationwide
Four Years36%37.92%
Six Years62%46.43%
Eight Years64%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time ECU Drop Out Rates

1416 first-time / full-time students or 36% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled261.84%
Transferred107175.64%
Dropped Out30221.33%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% First-Time, Part-Time
42% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at East Carolina University represent 0.33% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 42%, first-time, part-time students in the ECU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 42%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  42 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  42 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time ECU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsECUNationwide
Four Years42%14.37%
Six Years42%21.59%
Eight Years42%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time ECU Drop Out Rates

11 first-time / part-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred981.82%
Dropped Out218.18%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

24% Returning, Full-Time
75% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1365 ECU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.52% 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 75%, 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 76%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  75 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  76 out of 100
0%
100%

ECU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsECUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years75%53.83%
Eight Years76%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time ECU Drop Out Rates

330 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled30.91%
Transferred21163.94%
Dropped Out11635.15%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

9% Returning, Part-Time
54% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

503 ECU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.67% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 54%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 58%.

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.

Six Year Graduation Rate  54 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  58 out of 100
0%
100%

ECU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsECUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years54%36.03%
Eight Years58%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time ECU Drop Out Rates

212 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled146.60%
Transferred9343.87%
Dropped Out10549.53%

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