by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding Gardner - Webb 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 55% students making it past their freshmen year, Gardner - Webb 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Gardner - Webb | 55% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
There were approximately 472 students in the class of 2023. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 47% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 55% of the students had graduated and after eight years 55% 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 Gardner - Webb graduation rate 55%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 408 | 47% |
| Six Years | 472 | 55% |
| Eight Years | 1 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 391 | 45% |
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 391 students or 45% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 391 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
276 transferred to another institution.
Gardner - Webb lost contact with the remaining 115 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 276 | 70.6% |
| Dropped Out | 115 | 29.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Black / African-American | 62% |
| Hispanic | 57% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 69% |
| Unknown | 68% |
| White | 62% |
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 Gardner - Webb are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Gardner-Webb University represent 52.31% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Gardner - Webb 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 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | Gardner - Webb | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 44% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 52% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 52% | 47.82% |
216 first-time / full-time students or 48% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
173 transferred to another institution.
Gardner - Webb lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 173 | 80.09% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 19.91% |
We don’t have data for this cohort at Gardner-Webb University.
Returning / full-time students at Gardner-Webb University represent 32.41% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Gardner - Webb 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 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | Gardner - Webb | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 62% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 62% | 55.07% |
107 non first-time / part-time students or 38% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
78 transferred to another institution.
Gardner - Webb lost contact with the remaining 29 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 78 | 72.90% |
| Dropped Out | 29 | 27.10% |
Returning / part-time students at Gardner-Webb University represent 15.28% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the Gardner - Webb graduation rate was 48%, and by the eight year mark, 48% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 30.46% after four years, 36.03% after six years, and 37.80% after eight years.
| Completions | Gardner - Webb | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 36% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 48% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 37.80% |
68 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
25 transferred to another institution.
Gardner - Webb lost contact with the remaining 43 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 25 | 36.76% |
| Dropped Out | 43 | 63.24% |
