by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Fullerton College after their first year? Are Fullerton College students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 69% students making it past their freshmen year, Fullerton 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 California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Fullerton College | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
There were approximately 6,931 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 34% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 29% of the students had graduated and after eight years 31% 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 Fullerton College graduation rate 29%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 5,726 | 24% |
| Six Years | 6,931 | 29% |
| Eight Years | 579 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 16,359 | 69% |
Approximately 16359 students or 69% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 16359 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
8592 transferred to another institution.
Fullerton College lost contact with the remaining 7387 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 8592 | 52.5% |
| Dropped Out | 7,387 | 45.2% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
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 Fullerton College are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Fullerton College represent 4% of the students in the class of 2015, and 5.64% of Fullerton College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 34%, first-time students in the Fullerton College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Fullerton College graduation rate was 39%, and by the eight year mark, 42% 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 | Fullerton College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 34% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 39% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 42% | 47.82% |
579 first-time / full-time students or 58% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
206 transferred to another institution.
Fullerton College lost contact with the remaining 367 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 206 | 35.58% |
| Dropped Out | 367 | 63.39% |
First-time / part-time students at Fullerton College represent 14.00% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 29%, first-time, part-time students in the Fullerton College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 32%.
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 | Fullerton College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 21% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 29% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 23.72% |
2261 first-time / part-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
64 are still enrolled.
876 transferred to another institution.
Fullerton College lost contact with the remaining 1321 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 64 | 2.83% |
| Transferred | 876 | 38.74% |
| Dropped Out | 1,321 | 58.43% |
3716 Fullerton College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.57% 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 42%, 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 44%.
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 | Fullerton College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 42% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 44% | 55.07% |
2069 non first-time / part-time students or 56% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
39 are still enrolled.
1257 transferred to another institution.
Fullerton College lost contact with the remaining 773 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 39 | 1.88% |
| Transferred | 1257 | 60.75% |
| Dropped Out | 773 | 37.36% |
15818 Fullerton College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 66.27% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 25%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
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 | Fullerton College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 25% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 37.80% |
11450 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
271 are still enrolled.
6253 transferred to another institution.
Fullerton College lost contact with the remaining 4926 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 271 | 2.37% |
| Transferred | 6253 | 54.61% |
| Dropped Out | 4,926 | 43.02% |
