by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at GSCC? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 54% students making it past their freshmen year, GSCC 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 Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| GSCC | 54% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
Of the 606 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
17% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 19% in six years, and 21% in eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official GSCC graduation rate 19%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 490 | 15% |
| Six Years | 606 | 19% |
| Eight Years | 74 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,525 | 79% |
Approximately 2525 students or 79% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2525 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
312 transferred to another institution.
GSCC lost contact with the remaining 2156 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 312 | 12.4% |
| Dropped Out | 2,156 | 85.4% |
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 GSCC 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 Gadsden State Community College represent 56% of the students in the class of 2015, and 59.08% of GSCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 17%, first-time students in the GSCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the GSCC graduation rate was 20%, and by the eight year mark, 21% 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 | GSCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 17% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 20% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 21% | 47.82% |
1411 first-time / full-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
197 transferred to another institution.
GSCC lost contact with the remaining 1184 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 197 | 13.96% |
| Dropped Out | 1,184 | 83.91% |
First-time / part-time students at Gadsden State Community College represent 13.35% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time, part-time students in the GSCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.
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 | GSCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 16% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 18% | 23.72% |
351 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
9 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
GSCC lost contact with the remaining 295 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 9 | 2.56% |
| Transferred | 47 | 13.39% |
| Dropped Out | 295 | 84.05% |
518 GSCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.16% 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 24%, 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 30%.
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 | GSCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 24% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 30% | 55.07% |
361 non first-time / part-time students or 70% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
16 are still enrolled.
33 transferred to another institution.
GSCC lost contact with the remaining 312 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 16 | 4.43% |
| Transferred | 33 | 9.14% |
| Dropped Out | 312 | 86.43% |
466 GSCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.54% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 12%, 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 14%.
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 | GSCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 12% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 14% | 37.80% |
402 non first-time / part-time students or 86% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
35 transferred to another institution.
GSCC lost contact with the remaining 365 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.50% |
| Transferred | 35 | 8.71% |
| Dropped Out | 365 | 90.80% |
