by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Emerson after their first year? Are Emerson students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 80% students making it past their freshmen year, Emerson 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 Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Emerson | 80% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
Of the 977 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
76% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 81% in six years, and 81% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Emerson is 81%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
The average length of time it takes an Emerson undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.05 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 937 | 78% |
| Six Years | 977 | 81% |
| Eight Years | 6 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 226 | 19% |
Approximately 226 students or 19% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 226 students who did not complete their degree?
2 are still enrolled.
154 transferred to another institution.
Emerson lost contact with the remaining 70 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.9% |
| Transferred | 154 | 68.1% |
| Dropped Out | 70 | 31.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 79% |
| Black / African-American | 78% |
| Hispanic | 74% |
| International | 77% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 78% |
| Unknown | 46% |
| White | 80% |
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 Emerson 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 students at Emerson College represent 79% of the students in the class of 2015, and 77.79% of Emerson bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 76%, first-time students in the Emerson class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Emerson graduation rate was 80%, and by the eight year mark, 80% 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 | Emerson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 76% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 80% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 80% | 47.82% |
188 first-time / full-time students or 20% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
138 transferred to another institution.
Emerson lost contact with the remaining 49 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.06% |
| Transferred | 138 | 73.40% |
| Dropped Out | 49 | 26.06% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Emerson first-time, part-time students.
254 Emerson students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 21.01% 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 84%, 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 85%.
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 | Emerson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 84% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 55.07% |
38 non first-time / part-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
Emerson lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.63% |
| Transferred | 16 | 42.11% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 55.26% |
3 Emerson students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.25% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 100%, 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 100%.
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Emerson | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 100% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 100% | 37.80% |
