by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding FDU 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 freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 77% students making it past their freshmen year, FDU 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 New Jersey, the average is 74.83%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| FDU | 77% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| New Jersey | 74.83% |
How many of the estimated 597 students in the class of 2023 actually finished their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 46% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 54% of the students had graduated and after eight years 56% 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 FDU graduation rate 54%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 510 | 46% |
| Six Years | 597 | 54% |
| Eight Years | 20 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 485 | 44% |
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 485 students or 44% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 485 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
228 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 252 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 228 | 47.0% |
| Dropped Out | 252 | 52.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 69% |
| Black / African-American | 52% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 64% |
| International | 74% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 27% |
| Unknown | 64% |
| White | 60% |
Traditional first-time, full-time students under 25 tend to graduate in four years far more often than other students. Some schools serve mostly traditional students while others serve more 'non-traditional' students — part-timers or those returning after time away — who commonly take longer to finish.
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 FDU are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
Looking at the individual cohorts below may tell you more than the overall graduation rate alone.
First-time / full-time students at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus represent 44.46% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FDU graduation rate was 51%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 39% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 51% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
236 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
152 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 83 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.42% |
| Transferred | 152 | 64.41% |
| Dropped Out | 83 | 35.17% |
First-time / part-time students at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus represent 9.80% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FDU graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 37% 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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 20% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 31% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 37% | 23.72% |
68 first-time / part-time students or 63% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
16 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 51 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.47% |
| Transferred | 16 | 23.53% |
| Dropped Out | 51 | 75.00% |
Returning / full-time students at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus represent 26.23% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FDU graduation rate was 74%, and by the eight year mark, 74% 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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 74% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 74% | 55.07% |
74 non first-time / part-time students or 26% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
40 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 1.35% |
| Transferred | 40 | 54.05% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 44.59% |
Returning / part-time students at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus represent 19.51% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the FDU graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 50% 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 | FDU | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 42% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 47% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 37.80% |
107 non first-time / part-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
20 transferred to another institution.
FDU lost contact with the remaining 85 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.87% |
| Transferred | 20 | 18.69% |
| Dropped Out | 85 | 79.44% |
