by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many Gaston College first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore Gaston College retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
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, Gaston 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 North Carolina, the average is 66.53%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Gaston College | 69% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| North Carolina | 66.53% |
Of the 2,164 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 24% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 35% of the students had graduated and after eight years 37% 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 Gaston College graduation rate 35%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1,895 | 31% |
| Six Years | 2,164 | 35% |
| Eight Years | 124 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 3,922 | 63% |
Approximately 3922 students or 63% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 3922 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
904 transferred to another institution.
Gaston College lost contact with the remaining 2834 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 904 | 23.0% |
| Dropped Out | 2,834 | 72.3% |
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 Gaston 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 Gaston College represent 11% of the students in the class of 2015, and 9.61% of Gaston College bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 24%, first-time students in the Gaston College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Gaston College graduation rate was 31%, and by the eight year mark, 33% 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 | Gaston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 24% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 31% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 33% | 47.82% |
442 first-time / full-time students or 67% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
134 transferred to another institution.
Gaston College lost contact with the remaining 292 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 134 | 30.32% |
| Dropped Out | 292 | 66.06% |
First-time / part-time students at Gaston College represent 14.69% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time, part-time students in the Gaston College class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 16%.
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 | Gaston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 10% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 14% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 16% | 23.72% |
763 first-time / part-time students or 84% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
34 are still enrolled.
194 transferred to another institution.
Gaston College lost contact with the remaining 535 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 34 | 4.46% |
| Transferred | 194 | 25.43% |
| Dropped Out | 535 | 70.12% |
1609 Gaston College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 25.91% 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 54%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 56%.
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 | Gaston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 54% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 56% | 55.07% |
716 non first-time / part-time students or 44% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
38 are still enrolled.
269 transferred to another institution.
Gaston College lost contact with the remaining 409 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 38 | 5.31% |
| Transferred | 269 | 37.57% |
| Dropped Out | 409 | 57.12% |
3025 Gaston College students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 48.71% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 32%, 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 34%.
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 | Gaston College | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 32% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 34% | 37.80% |
2001 non first-time / part-time students or 66% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
96 are still enrolled.
307 transferred to another institution.
Gaston College lost contact with the remaining 1598 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 96 | 4.80% |
| Transferred | 307 | 15.34% |
| Dropped Out | 1,598 | 79.86% |
