by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Fortis College - Columbia 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 percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 66% students making it past their freshmen year, Fortis College - Columbia has freshmen retention rates below the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Fortis College - Columbia | 66% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| South Carolina | 65.91% |
Of the 186 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 56% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 56% 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 Fortis College - Columbia graduation rate 56%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 186 | 56% |
| Six Years | 186 | 56% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 149 | 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 149 students or 44% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 149 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
38 transferred to another institution.
Fortis College - Columbia lost contact with the remaining 111 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 38 | 25.5% |
| Dropped Out | 111 | 74.5% |
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 Fortis College - Columbia are considered 'non-traditional students' who are not first-time, full-time, and under 25.
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 Fortis College-Columbia represent 35.22% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Fortis College - Columbia graduation rate was 62%, and by the eight year mark, 62% 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 | Fortis College - Columbia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 62% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 62% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 47.82% |
45 first-time / full-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
12 transferred to another institution.
Fortis College - Columbia lost contact with the remaining 33 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 12 | 26.67% |
| Dropped Out | 33 | 73.33% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Fortis College-Columbia.
Returning / full-time students at Fortis College-Columbia represent 64.78% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Fortis College - Columbia graduation rate was 52%, and by the eight year mark, 52% 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 | Fortis College - Columbia | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 52% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 55.07% |
104 non first-time / part-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
26 transferred to another institution.
Fortis College - Columbia lost contact with the remaining 78 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 26 | 25.00% |
| Dropped Out | 78 | 75.00% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Fortis College-Columbia.
