by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Ferrum College after their first year? Are Ferrum College students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 56% students making it past their freshmen year, Ferrum College has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Virginia, the average is 69.66%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Ferrum College | 56% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Virginia | 69.66% |
Of the 241 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
25% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 36% in six years, and 37% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Ferrum College is 36%. 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 typical Ferrum College student takes 4.35 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 185 | 27% |
| Six Years | 241 | 36% |
| Eight Years | 7 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 430 | 63% |
Approximately 430 students or 63% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 430 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
413 transferred to another institution.
Ferrum College lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.2% |
| Transferred | 413 | 96.0% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 4.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 50% |
| Black / African-American | 26% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| International | 50% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 37% |
| Unknown | 25% |
| White | 34% |
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 Ferrum College 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 Ferrum College represent 85% of the students in the class of 2015, and 82.99% of Ferrum College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 25%, first-time students in the Ferrum College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Ferrum College graduation rate was 35%, and by the eight year mark, 36% 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 | Ferrum College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 35% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 36% | 47.82% |
371 first-time / full-time students or 64% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
371 transferred to another institution.
Ferrum College lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.27% |
| Transferred | 371 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ferrum College first-time, part-time students.
100 Ferrum College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.68% 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 41%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 41%.
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 | Ferrum College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 41% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 55.07% |
59 non first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
42 transferred to another institution.
Ferrum College lost contact with the remaining 17 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 42 | 71.19% |
| Dropped Out | 17 | 28.81% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ferrum College returning, part-time students.
