by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding FSW 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.
There were approximately 1413 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 31% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 34% of the students had graduated and after eight years 35% 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 FSW graduation rate 34%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1273 | 31% |
| Six Years | 1413 | 34% |
| Eight Years | 32 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 2686 | 65% |
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 2686 students or 65% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2686 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
1112 transferred to another institution.
FSW lost contact with the remaining 1538 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 1112 | 41.4% |
| Dropped Out | 1538 | 57.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 48% |
| Black / African-American | 35% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 38% |
| International | 45% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 39% |
| Unknown | 40% |
| White | 39% |
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 FSW are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Florida SouthWestern State College represent 46.01% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FSW graduation rate was 44%, and by the eight year mark, 45% 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 | FSW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 42% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 44% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 45% | 47.82% |
1048 first-time / full-time students or 55% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
14 are still enrolled.
488 transferred to another institution.
FSW lost contact with the remaining 546 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 14 | 1.34% |
| Transferred | 488 | 46.56% |
| Dropped Out | 546 | 52.10% |
First-time / part-time students at Florida SouthWestern State College represent 32.04% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FSW graduation rate was 22%, and by the eight year mark, 23% 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 | FSW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 22% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 23% | 23.72% |
1016 first-time / part-time students or 77% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
15 are still enrolled.
330 transferred to another institution.
FSW lost contact with the remaining 671 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 15 | 1.48% |
| Transferred | 330 | 32.48% |
| Dropped Out | 671 | 66.04% |
Returning / full-time students at Florida SouthWestern State College represent 7.35% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FSW graduation rate was 39%, and by the eight year mark, 39% 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 | FSW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 39% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 39% | 55.07% |
184 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
113 transferred to another institution.
FSW lost contact with the remaining 70 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.54% |
| Transferred | 113 | 61.41% |
| Dropped Out | 70 | 38.04% |
Returning / part-time students at Florida SouthWestern State College represent 14.60% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FSW graduation rate was 27%, and by the eight year mark, 27% 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 | FSW | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 27% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 27% | 37.80% |
438 non first-time / part-time students or 73% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
181 transferred to another institution.
FSW lost contact with the remaining 251 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.37% |
| Transferred | 181 | 41.32% |
| Dropped Out | 251 | 57.31% |
