by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Welch after their first year? Are Welch 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 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Welch 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 Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Welch | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
There were approximately 35 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
35% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 44% in six years, and 45% in eight years.
The official graduation rate of Welch is 44%. 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.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Welch? The standard length of time for most students is 4.41 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 25 | 31% |
| Six Years | 35 | 44% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 44 | 55% |
Approximately 44 students or 55% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 44 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Welch lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 10 | 22.7% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 77.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Black / African-American | 100% |
| Hispanic | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 50% |
| White | 73% |
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 Welch 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 Welch College represent 75% of the students in the class of 2015, and 80.00% of Welch bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time students in the Welch class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Welch graduation rate was 47%, and by the eight year mark, 48% 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 | Welch | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 35% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 47% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 47.82% |
31 first-time / full-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
10 transferred to another institution.
Welch lost contact with the remaining 21 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 10 | 32.26% |
| Dropped Out | 21 | 67.74% |
First-time / part-time students at Welch College represent 3.70% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 67%, first-time, part-time students in the Welch class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Welch | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 67% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 23.72% |
1 first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Welch lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
17 Welch students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 20.99% 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 29%, 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 29%.
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 | Welch | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 29% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 29% | 55.07% |
12 non first-time / part-time students or 71% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
Welch lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 100.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Welch returning, part-time students.
